


Smart and Sassy

by Jestana



Category: Numb3rs
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2018-12-03 14:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 26,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11533845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jestana/pseuds/Jestana
Summary: Larry and Megan, getting together and staying together.





	1. Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Larry and Megan each ponder their feelings for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for _Obsession_ and _In Plain Sight_. This was written for a community called 'stagesoflove' on LJ.

Dr. Larry Fleinhardt could pinpoint exactly when his feelings for Agent Megan Reeves had started to change. She'd walked over to his car-- a 1931 Model A in mint condition with _no_ modern amenities, whatsoever --and, looking it over admiringly, commented, " You know, the thing about this car, it's such a classic design in engineering, it's more like a work of art than a vehicle."

"Yes! I was saying the _exact_ same thing!" he couldn't help exclaiming in response, pleased that _someone_ shared his appreciation for the beauty of a classic car. After promising her a ride in his car, he kept casting surreptitious glances Megan's way, admiring the way the sun made her tawny gold hair brighter, the way her eyes sparkled in anticipation of the promised ride. As she'd walked towards her car to return to the FBI offices, he'd had to chastise himself several times for noticing the way her hips swayed when she walked and how well her slacks emphasized her, um, figure.

*12*15*22*05*

Agent Megan Reeves was not so sure when she began to feel more than friendly affection for Dr. Larry Fleinhardt. She didn't even realize her feelings had been strengthening until she arrived for work one day to find a bouquet of seven white tuberoses waiting for her on her desk. There had been a card tucked among the flowers, with a simple message written on it: _Allow yourself to grieve._ Four simple words, but they'd reminded her that part of being human was to allow herself to grieve for the losses that she faced. Before turning her attention to her work, she wrote a reminder to herself on a slip of paper and tucked it into her pocket. _Thank Larry for the flowers._


	2. The Time Between

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megan visits Larry in his office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for _In Plain Sight_ and a _**very**_ slight one for _Toxin_. According to my notes, this was my very first Numb3rs fic. I'm pretty sure I wrote it after _In Plain Sight_ first aired.

She came to a stop in front of the door the secretary had said was his. The room number was correct and his name was on the plaque beside it. Yet, now that she was here, the courage that had carried her this far began to fail her. _You're an FBI agent, Megan. Doesn't that count for something?_ Before she could think herself out of it, she raised a hand and rapped her knuckles on the frosted glass window set into the door. When she didn't get an immediate response, she knocked again, this time on the wood and louder. "Dr. Fleinhardt?"

"Come in!" His voice floated to her through the door, sounding distracted.

Turning the knob, she let herself into his office. Larry was seated at his desk, his shoulders hunched as he scribbled with a felt-tip pen. The office itself was pleasantly cluttered, like Charlie's in a way, but not quite the same. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she cleared her throat. "Dr. Fleinhardt."

"Just a moment, please," he replied, holding up one finger as he continued scribbling away. Smiling to herself, Megan clasped her hands behind her back and waited patiently for Larry to finish whatever he was doing. Though she hadn't known him for very long, she knew him well enough to realize that it was best to let him finish what he was working on at that particular moment in time. Rather like dealing with Charlie when he was working on a mathematical problem, except not quite. She was distracted from her thoughts by his voice, "There, now, what can--Oh! Agent Reeves! My apologies."

"It's all right, Dr. Fleinhardt," she assured him, even as he stood and cleared one of the chairs in front of his desk of the papers occupying it.

He gestured for her to sit down. "No, no, it's not all right. A lady should not be kept waiting."

"Ah, but genius waits for no man, or woman," she reminded him, sitting down.

His cheeks flushed and he turned to clear the other chair, setting the papers on his desk, right on top of whatever he'd been working on. "I'm flattered, of-of course, but still, you should have sat down while you were waiting."

"There were no seats available and I didn't want to move anything in case I moved something I shouldn't have," she explained, smiling.

He waved the concern away as if it were some pesky bug. "No, no, no, you don't need to worry about that sort of thing. I'm always moving things around and forgetting where I put them anyway, so you wouldn't have been doing any more damage than I would myself."

She laughed, amused by his frank revelation. "I'll certainly keep that in mind."

"Enough about me," he continued, bobbing his head to acknowledge her comment. "How are you?"

Her smile faded as she remembered the events of the past few days. Most especially the image of Agent Gallagher's corpse on the stretcher after she'd killed him. She banished the image and raised her eyes to meet Larry's questioning ones. "I'm not doing as well as I'd like, but I came here to thank you."

"Thank me?" He stared at her, hazel eyes wide with feigned ignorance. "For what?"

She smiled at his attempt at acting. "For the flowers. They're lovely and smell wonderful."

"F-flowers?" he repeated, shaking his head. "I didn't send you any flowers."

She reached over and patted his arm. "I'll let you in on a secret, Dr. Fleinhardt."

"S-secret?" He cleared his throat. "What sort of secret?"

She leaned towards him. "You're the only person I know who would send me flowers in an attempt to make me feel better about losing someone under my command. It would never occur to anyone else."

"I-I-I hope you don't mind that I did s-send you the flowers," he managed to stammer out after staring at her for several moments, having apparently decided there was no point in trying to deny it after she'd guessed.

She shook her head, patting his arm again. "Of course not. Why else would I come to thank you for sending them?"

"That's a good question." He smiled at her for several moments before dropping his gaze to the battered sneakers he was wearing. "Actually, I was wondering if you w-would like to go get a bite to eat?" He glanced at her hopefully. "You'll finally get a ride in my car."

Megan was prevented from answering by the ringing of her cell phone. Sighing, she flipped it open. "Reeves."

"Hey, Megan, I hate to cut your lunch hour short, but something's come up and we need you back here," Don's voice answered, sounding anxious.

She glanced at Larry, who was slouched in his chair, apparently fascinated by the way his fingers bent and flexed. Reluctantly, she nodded, even though she knew Don wouldn't be able to see it. "Right, I'll be there in ten."

"Great, see you." Don hung up, leaving Megan to listen to the sound of dead air until she closed her phone.

Regretfully, she turned to Larry. "I'm sorry, Dr. Fleinhardt, but duty calls."

"No, no, I understand." He sat up straight in his chair and Megan was sure she saw a flash of some emotion in his eyes. "I'm s-sort of used to it b-by now, since Charlie's been helping."

She nodded, smiling ruefully. "Anyway, I need to get going." A sudden impulse made her add, "Perhaps we can take a rain check on getting a bite to eat?"

"Y-yes, that would be very nice." He nodded, standing when she did. "I'll see you, and good luck on the case, whatever it is, Agent Reeves."

She smiled as he walked her to the door. "Thank you, Dr. Fleinhardt. I'll see you."

He nodded and watched as she walked down the hallway, her skirt swishing around her knees with each step.


	3. Phone Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megan makes a phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by Lapinguina on LJ, there are spoilers for _Rampage_.

"Larry? It's Megan. How are you? That's good. Listen, something happened at the offices this morning and--What? Oh, I'm fine. Really, I am. No, no, I wasn't hurt. A few others have bullet wounds and McCall's dead. We don't know who killed him yet, but Charlie's pretty shaken up. Don's taking him back to CalSci right now while we wait for Evidence Response to do their job. Just, keep an eye on him, will you? Don can handle himself, but Charlie's never had to deal with this. Great, thanks. _Yes_ , I'm fine. All right. Bye, Larry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This drabble inspired [F is for Fleinhardt](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11451201/chapters/25708305). So if it seems familiar, that's why.


	4. Taking That Last Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megan and Larry take that last step into being a couple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place sometime after _Dark Matter_. It's been a cold spring. I wrote this before season three aired.

It was a cool, crisp Saturday night in southern California. Dr. Larry Fleinhardt and Agent Megan Reeves walked along arm-in-arm, ostensibly to ward off the chill in the evening air. At the moment, they walked in companionable silence, each musing on how well their dinner together had gone. They'd been dating, as it were, for a couple months now. Once he stopped stuttering every few words and sentences, conversation flowed easily between the two and they found they had a great deal to talk about, ranging from popular music to the meaning of life as stated by _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_. Even so, they didn't always feel a need to talk. Sometimes, it was nice to simply enjoy each other's company. As with any silence, however, it was soon broken, this time by Megan, "Larry, would you mind if I asked you a personal question?"

"That would depend on what you mean by _a personal question_ ," he replied, his free hand waving around as he talked, almost as if he was trying to swat a bug of some sort. "I mean, _my_ definition of a personal question could differ significantly from _your_ definition."

Megan smiled bemusedly. Some people would find his habit of changing the topic at hand to an entirely different topic frustrating. She found it endearing, part of who he was. "Would you mind if I asked a question that _I_ consider personal?"

"Why don't you ask me the question and I'll tell you if I mind?" he suggested mildly, tucking his hand into his pocket to keep it warm.

She nodded, still smiling. "All right, that sounds like a good compromise." She cleared her throat. "Are you bothered by the fact that I'm taller than you are?"

"I haven't actually considered that, to tell the truth," he answered thoughtfully. "Height is such a relative term."

She considered that for a few moments. "If you were taller, say six foot, would you have the same opinion?"

"If I were taller, I would not have been picked on so much in school," he answered ruefully, scratching his head. "Which is why height is relative. If you're taller, bullies won't pick on you. When you're smaller, you're a prime target."

She sighed, nodding. "Yes, most unfortunately, that is very true. Bullies tend to pick on people smaller than they are because they will be the ones least likely to try to fight back."

"Is there a reason you asked the question?" he suddenly asked after they had walked for several moments in silence, simply pondering what they'd discussed. "Are _you_ bothered by the fact that you're taller than myself?"

She shook her head, swift to reassure him. "No, no, I'm not. I have met men, however, who refuse to date a woman taller than they are, which could limit their choices, depending, of course, on the height of the man in question."

"Exactly." Larry nodded his agreement, gesticulating expansively as he expounded on the topic. "If _I_ chose to do so, I would eliminate a number of my female acquaintances as women I might date simply because they happen to be taller than myself." He held up a finger to emphasize his next point. "However, choosing a possible mate based on how tall she is does _not_ take into account the woman herself: her personality, her intelligence, even her career choices." Stuffing his hand in his pocket once more, he shrugged as he concluded, "It simply eliminates a woman based on, more often than not, how long or short her legs are."

"By the same token, there _are_ some women who refuse to date men shorter than themselves," Megan added in response, squeezing his elbow reassuringly. "In my opinion, women and men who make their choices based on such a physical quality are missing what it is that makes us human, why we are supposedly at the top of the food chain: our intelligence."

He chuckled, a wry sound that she found quite pleasant to listen to. "Yes, well, there are some people out there who make me wonder how they've managed to survive and even thrive in our society."

"Perhaps they found a book called _Surviving in Modern Society for Dummies_ ," Megan commented with an ironic smile.

Larry considered that seriously for several moments, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You know, I would not be surprised if there is such a book."

"If there isn't, I'm sure someone will eventually think to write it," Megan countered with a laugh. A thought struck her and she added, "Maybe _you_ should write it, Larry. You know a lot about life."

He shook his head, taking her jest seriously. "Only from an academic perspective. The sort of book you're suggesting would be more suitable if written from an empirical perspective, by someone with experience of life on the streets. Someone who would _know_ the challenges a person would face."

"Are you suggesting that _I_ write the book?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise and curiosity.

He nodded, glancing at her with a smile. "Well, yes. You've seen the worst humanity has to offer, but you still have faith in humanity as a whole."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" she countered wryly, very amused.

He shrugged, and then nodded, once again gesturing expansively as he talked. "Yes, I suppose it could be considered one. Or it could just mean that I find you hopelessly naïve."

"That's not exactly reassuring." She shook her head, rather bemused by the direction their conversation had taken. She could always count on Larry to look at something from a completely different angle.

She could hear the utter sincerity in his voice as he made his response. "I think you are one of the strongest women I have ever met. You spend your time dealing with some of the worst criminals humanity has ever produced, but you are still compassionate and kind. Your job does not prevent you from feeling for your fellow human beings."

"That was beautiful, Larry." She moved to kiss his cheek in thanks for the compliment, but he chose that moment to turn his head to respond to her comment. Consequently, her kiss didn't land on his cheek as she'd intended, but on his lips. They were warm, moist, and softer than she'd expected. Though she'd intended the kiss to be swift, she couldn't help lingering, her free hand coming up to cup his cheek. It was the need for air that prompted her to end the kiss, her hand still cupping his cheek.

He stared up at her, hazel eyes wide and dazed. He leaned his cheek into her palm as his eyes cleared and focused on her. "Well, that was quite pleasant."

"Thanks for the favorable assessment of my kissing skills," she answered with an amused smile.

He gazed thoughtfully up at her, a gleam appearing in his eyes. "You know, a proper assessment would require several tests of the...skill being assessed."

"We certainly must have a proper assessment," she agreed, lowering her head to kiss him once more.


	5. Necessary Pampering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megan's had a hard day at work and Larry helps her relax

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Future!fic, this was another part of the 'stagesoflove' thing on LJ.

Megan heaved a sigh of relief as she let herself into her apartment. She'd given a key to Larry not long after Crystal Hoyle had abducted her because an empty apartment was the last thing she wanted when she woke up from a nightmare. Sometimes he arrived later than her, but he was waiting for her tonight. He greeted her with a soft kiss and took her coat when she removed it. "There's a bubble bath ready and waiting for you."

"Thanks, Larry." She kissed his cheek and made a beeline for the bathroom. The tub was full of bubbles and a glass of green apple merlot waited on the counter beside the open bottle. She drained the glass before shedding her clothes and slipping into the luxurious bubbles with a soft sigh.

As she luxuriated in the warmth that leeched the tension from her body, Larry slipped into the room to retrieve her clothes and leave a terry cloth robe in their place. "There's a piece of chocolate cake waiting for you in the kitchen."

"I just need a few more minutes," she told him, smiling gratefully when he refilled the glass and handed it to her. She gestured for him to bend down and, when he did, she kissed him. He was smiling when he left with her clothes. She smiled to herself as she sipped her merlot. Once it was gone, she climbed out and set the tub to drain.

She sighed contentedly as she dried herself off and slipped into the robe. It was still warm from the dryer and smelled like Larry. Pouring herself one last glass of merlot and feeling much better, she left the bathroom and found Larry in the living room, grading papers on the couch. She took a few moments to simply watch him as he frowned at something on the paper he was currently grading and shook his head despairingly as he scribbled something on it in red ink. "Do they listen at all when I lecture?"

"I'm sure they do, Larry, but retaining it is something else entirely," she commented dryly, crossing the room to sit down beside him on the couch after moving the papers there to the end table.

He smiled, patting her knee before going back to his grading. "You're probably right, Megan. Just give me a few moments and I'll get your cake for you."

"If you don't mind, I'd rather just sit here with you, Larry," she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him.

He turned his head to kiss her forehead. "Of course, Megan, I don't mind."

"Thanks, Larry," she answered with a soft sigh, closing her eyes to rest them.

When she opened them again, she was stretched out on the couch with her head in Larry's lap. He smiled when he saw that she was awake. "Hello, Megan. Sleep well?"

"Yes, I did," she replied, propping herself up and drawing his head down to hers for a warm, loving kiss.


	6. Telling a Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megan does some thinking about her relationship with Larry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Larry is in danger, but he manages to live. Mainly because I like him too much to kill him off. *grin* Again, future!fic.

When she became an FBI agent, Megan Reeves knew that anyone she cherished would now be a target for someone seeking revenge. For that reason, she'd done her best not to become attached to anyone besides her family. She'd succeeded for the most part; content with the satisfaction her work for the FBI brought her. Then she'd transferred to California and met Dr. Larry Fleinhardt. She didn't know quite how he managed it, but he'd somehow snuck into her heart and she didn't want him to leave. She just couldn't bring herself to tell him that, because there was a small irrational part of her that felt he would be just a little safer if she kept that small secret.

Now, as she watched him sleep, she realized how easily one of them could die and he would never know the truth. She would rather he died knowing how she felt than to live wondering. The sound of the door opening drew her attention and she smiled softly when she saw who had come in. "Hey, Charlie."

"Hey, Megan. How's he doing?" Charlie asked, coming up to stand beside the chair she was curled up in.

"All the equipment indicates that he's doing fine," she answered, indicating the numerous monitors hooked up to Larry with a wave of her hand, "and he seems to be sleeping peacefully, too."

Charlie nodded, his hand hovering over her shoulder hesitantly for a moment before he squeezed it comfortingly. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Megan. He eats well and manages to keep himself in pretty good shape."

"I know," she replied with a soft sigh. "It was still pretty scary."

Charlie gave a sigh of his own. She almost didn't hear him murmur, "It was very scary."

"I can assure you both that I have no intention of leaving this world just yet," Larry's voice interrupted their quiet conversation.

Megan was by his side in moments, holding his hand in both of hers. Charlie came to the other side of the bed, grasping Larry's hand. "Hey, Larry, how're you feeling?"

"Aside from feeling as if a supernova went off in my chest, I feel fine," Larry smiled slightly, squeezing each of their hands with his. "What exactly happened?"

Megan was too choked up to say anything and glanced at Charlie. "You had a minor heart attack, Larry. You gave all of us quite a scare."

"I apologize for that." Larry sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

Megan tugged on his hand to draw his attention to her. "Larry, you have nothing to apologize for. You didn't _choose_ to have the heart attack, after all."

"I'm going to go let everyone know that you're fine, Larry," Charlie inserted quietly as Larry and Megan simply looked at each other.

Neither of them spoke until the door had closed behind Charlie. "Larry, I..." "Megan, there's..." "You first." "No, ladies first."

"All right, well, I had plenty of time to think while you were asleep, Larry," she began, toying with his hand nervously, "and I realized that I should have told you something a long time ago, but I didn't because I was, well, I was afraid."

He gently withdrew his hand from her grasp and tilted her chin up so she had no choice except to meet his eyes. "Megan, what are you trying to say?"

"Larry, I can't pinpoint exactly when it happened, but I'm in love with you," she told him, her eyes meeting his steadily.

He stared at her for several moments before a smile slowly appeared. "I had promised myself I would wait for you to say something, though I admit I was beginning to wonder if you would ever tell me."

"Larry, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Megan asked hopefully.

He nodded, still smiling. "Yes, Megan, I'm in love with you, too."

Too overwhelmed by her emotions to verbalize them, she leaned forward to kiss him softly.


	7. Earthquake!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Just minutes ago, the Southland was rocked by the most severe earthquake since the Northridge quake in 1994..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a vague dream about this and managed to work it to fit with umbralillium's fic, _What Dreams Reveal_ , featuring some OCs of her. The character names Don brings up that you don't recognize are umbra's OCs.

They'd been seated on the couch, watching _Harvey_ , starring Jimmy Stewart when the shaking began. Larry reacted first, springing to his feet more quickly than she would have thought he could. "Larry, what is it?"

"Earthquake," he told her, pulling her to feet, "and it feels like it's a large one."

Megan followed him to the dining room and helped pull out the chairs so they could duck underneath the table. "Will this really protect us?"

"I don't know, Megan," he answered as the shaking grew worse and they unconsciously pressed closer to each other more for comfort. "It's certainly better than not doing anything, though."

She nodded, her arms tightening convulsively around him, just as his tightened around her. There was a loud rumbling sound, and then the floor seemed to drop out from underneath them. Both cried out as they fell for what seemed like forever, but was probably less than a minute. Their fall stopped with a bone-jarring thud and blackness swallowed her.

*15*21*14*9*

"Just minutes ago, the Southland was rocked by the most severe earthquake since the Northridge quake in 1994. Reaching 7.2 on the Richter scale, it was centered about five miles under Pomona and caused several of the older buildings here in Los Angeles to collapse. Already, rescue workers are on their way to sift through the rubble in search of survivors..."

*15*21*14*9*

For a moment, she wondered if she'd even opened her eyes, because it was dark regardless of whether her eyes were open or closed. She slowly became aware of a heavy weight in her arms and a familiar scent in her nose. "Larry?" She nudged him gently, but he made no response. "Are you awake?" She nudged him more forcefully this time and he moaned quietly, but made no other sound. Carefully freeing one hand, she stretched it out to ascertain how large a space they were in. She could feel the dining table directly above her head and reminded herself not to sit up straight. The table legs were in their usual spots, though one had been forced inward and pieces of rubble had slid between the legs to form a sort of cave, burying her right leg up to her knee in the process. It wasn't very bad, but she couldn't free her leg, either. Moving carefully, she eased Larry down so he was lying across her lap like a life size doll. Combing her fingers through his hair, she found a rather large lump on the back of his head, about the size of a goose egg. _No wonder he's unconscious..._ Sighing heavily, she continued to comb her fingers through his hair, musing that there didn't seem to be much else she could do for them at the moment.

She didn't know how much time had passed before he stirred in her lap, moaning softly. Despite the darkness that kept her blind, she leaned forward, straining her eyes to see what little she could of him. "Larry? Can you hear me?" He moaned again, his head moving restlessly. "Larry, wake up." She inwardly cringed at the plaintiveness of her tone, but she pushed that away, focusing only on the man in her arms. "Come on, Larry, wake up."

"Megan?" She felt him turn onto his back. "Is that you?"

She laughed softly, finding his hand in the dark and clasping it firmly. "Yes, of course. Who else would it be?"

"I don't know," came his reply, his words a little slurred, as if he'd had too much to drink.

She shook him slightly when he didn't say anything further. "Don't go to sleep on me, Larry. You might have a concussion."

"'M comfortable," he returned plaintively, wriggling around until just his head was in her lap.

She rolled her eyes and eased him into a sitting position. "Only Dr. Larry Fleinhardt would be comfortable curled up on cold concrete with his head in my lap."

"'S because it's _your_ lap." His breath ghosted along her neck as he leaned heavily on her shoulder, making it prickle with goosebumps. "Wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

She shook her head, exasperated and amused as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Only you, Larry. Only you."

"On'y me what?" he asked, his head resting on her shoulder.

She stroked his hair lightly, more to reassure herself than to try to keep him calm. "Never mind, just stay with me and we'll be fine."

"I want to be with you always," came the soft reply, more lucid than anything else he'd said since he regained consciousness.

She felt tears prickle at her eyes, touched by his honesty, but refused to let them fall, having no wish to worry him. After a few moments, she was able to answer in a low voice, "Just as I wish to always be with you."

*15*21*14*9*

Being a paramedic, Brianna Farrier had seen her share of bizarre circumstances, but if this didn't beat all. She'd been assigned to the team of relief workers combing through the debris of an older apartment building and her job had mainly consisted of confirming that the people they'd found were dead. One of the workers had given a shout of surprise when they'd uncovered a table of some sort that was relatively whole and everyone had worked quickly to unbury it completely before lifting it clear to reveal a man and a woman tangled together, either dead or unconscious. Not sure what to expect, Brianna pushed her way to the front and checked both the man and the woman for pulses. She glanced up at the men surrounding her and nodded. "They're both alive."

A chorus of relieved sighs greeted this pronouncement and Brianna had immediately set to work untangling the two so they could be transported. Inexplicably, as Brianna tried to tug the man free, the woman's arms tightened around the man and she slowly opened her eyes. The green depths were cloudy, but Brianna could see the possessiveness in them all the same. "Miss, it's all right. You can let go now. You both need to go to the hospital."

The green eyes held Brianna's gaze for several moments before a sigh escaped the woman and her arms loosened their hold on the man. Just like that, Brianna was able to pull the man free and check his vitals. "A few bruises and scrapes and a lump on his head, but he can be transported to the hospital."

The others had retrieved a backboard and the smallish man was loaded onto it with quick, easy efficiency. As he was being lifted, his eyes fluttered open. "Megan?"

"She'll be fine," Brianna told him, patting his shoulder. "You're going to hospital now."

The man didn't hear her, having lapsed back into unconsciousness already. Shaking her head, Brianna turned to the woman and noticed that her right leg was buried under the debris that had surrounded the table. "Gentlemen, we need to clear this debris."

They set to it with a will, clearing it away as Brianna checked the woman, finding nothing worse than a bump on her head. When her leg was finally uncovered, however, Brianna hoped the woman's job wasn't too taxing, physically speaking. "That looks bad, Bri."

"I know, Carl, now let me work." She hated snapping at her friend, but she needed to concentrate on her job at the moment. Carefully feeling the leg with her fingers, she closed her eyes. Worse than she thought. _Both the tibia and the fibula broken. I'm surprised the debris didn't shatter them..._ She glanced up as a fellow paramedic arrived. "We need to set the bones in her leg before we even think of moving her, Kevin."

He nodded, handing her several splints. "I heard that her leg had been buried under the debris, so I came prepared."

"So I see," she answered, amused, as she set the splints in place on either side of her leg. "It's a good thing she's unconscious, this is going to hurt."

*15*21*14*9*

She woke up with a pounding headache and couldn't quite stifle her moan of pain. "Easy, Megan. We don't want you to do anything to make you injure yourself worse."

"How can I injure myself worse than I already am?" she asked, her voice hoarse from disuse as she cautiously opened her eyes.

Larry was sitting beside the bed she was in, his posture unusually straight. "I'm not sure, to tell the truth, but the doctor doesn't want you to aggravate your injuries."

"My injuries?" Puzzled, she followed his glance to the foot of the bed and gave a frustrated groan. Even though the sheet covered her legs, she could see that her right leg was encased in a cast up to her knee. She thought that leg had felt odd. "Which bone did I break?"

She didn't realize how forlorn her voice sounded until Larry's hand, warm and comforting, clasped hers. "The doctor said you broke both lower leg bones and dislocated your left hip."

" _Dislocated_ it?" she turned her head to stare at him incredulously. "How did I manage _that_?"

He shrugged, wincing a little as he did so. "We fell several stories and landed pretty hard. You on your hip and me on my side."

"Is that why you're not slouching like you usually do?" she teased him; more to keep her mind off the impact her injuries would have on her ability to do her job.

He smiled sheepishly, ducking his head. "Yes, I cracked my ribs when we fell."

"I should think you'd have felt something like that when you were moving around," she commented with a frown.

"My memories aren't that clear, but I think the bump on the head was keeping me from really feeling any sort of pain," he suggested, tapping his chin with his right index finger.

She considered that for several moments before nodding slowly. "You could be right. We'll have to ask the doctor about that."

"Ask me about what?" a polite voice asked from the doorway. Glancing around, Megan spotted a tall, thin man with thinning iron gray hair standing there. The traditional white lab coat over his slacks and dress shirt announced his profession as a doctor. "Forgive my intrusion, Miss Reeves, but you and Mr. Fleinhardt were rather engrossed in your discussion."

Megan fought back a blush at the doctor's words, noticing that Larry had bowed his head shyly in response. "It's all right, Doctor. Are you the one in charge of my, uh, case?"

"You could say that," he answered with a soft chuckle, entering and moving to stand on the other side of the bed from Larry. "I'm Hank Cordoy and I was the one who put you back in order, so to speak, once you were brought in." His gray eyes flicked towards Larry for a moment. "Both of you, actually."

She nodded, reminded that Larry was holding her hand when he squeezed it gently. She returned the squeeze, taking comfort in the simple touch. "What's the prognosis, then? Give it to me straight, please. I hate it when doctors beat around the bush."

He chuckled again, removing his glasses to polish them with a handkerchief before responding to her question. "I believe Mr. Fleinhardt has already informed you that both bones in your lower right leg are broken?" He didn't wait for her reply before continuing on. "The emergency paramedic who set the bones did a remarkable job, considering he had no equipment to help him do it."

"She, actually," Megan inserted quietly, a memory of concerned dark eyes in an elfin face flashing through her mind. Both men looked at her enquiringly. "I woke up very briefly when they'd rescued me and I remember a young woman telling me I could 'let go now.'"

Dr. Cordoy nodded thoughtfully. "At any rate, she did a remarkable job, though she overlooked the fact that your left hip had been dislocated." He shrugged. "It wouldn't have been easy to spot under the best of circumstances and her main concern was your leg anyway."

"Doctor, I know this will prevent me from working, but do you have any idea how long?" Megan interrupted his musings to ask, her hand holding Larry's firmly.

He blinked, his gaze focusing on her once more. "Oh, yes. May I ask what it is that you do?"

"She's an FBI agent, Doctor," Larry explained before Megan, surprising both her and the doctor. "One of the best you could ask for."

The doctor glanced between them for several moments before answering. "I see. Well, regardless of how good you are, Miss Reeves, you'll be in a wheelchair for several months as your bones begin to knit back together, and on crutches for several more months after that, depending on how quickly the breaks heal."

"Does this mean only desk work or complete medical leave?" she asked, wishing for clarification of the situation.

"Complete medical leave while you're in the wheelchair, certainly." He didn't look up from the chart he was examining at the moment. "After that, we shall simply have to play it by ear."

Megan sighed, glancing at Larry when he squeezed her hand in response and smiled softly. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Not at all, Miss Reeves." He set the chart down and removed his glasses, glancing between Megan and Larry. "Mr. Fleinhardt, would you excuse us? I need to examine Miss Reeves."

Larry nodded, squeezing Megan's hand one last time before releasing it and standing up very carefully. "Yes, of course. I'll see you later, Megan."

"Until later, Larry." She watched him leave before turning her attention to the doctor.

*15*21*14*9*

"Hey, Megan, how are you feeling?" Don greeted her later that day.

She smiled wryly as she squeezed the hand he offered to her. "I've been better, of course. How are you and Cassie?"

"We didn't feel a thing in Yosemite, but we headed home the minute we heard about the earthquake on the news," he explained, sitting down in the chair by the bed.

Megan's eyes widened as something occurred to her. "It hit Fontana, too, didn't it?"

"Yes, it did." Don sighed heavily, passing his hand over his face.

She hesitated a moment before asking the next question that occurred to her. "What about Charlie and Colby? Are they all right?"

"They were found alive, but they're both in comas," he explained gently, patting her hand.

She clasped his hand before he could pull it away, gazing intently at him. "What about Cassie's house?"

"The 'quake uprooted the large pine tree in her front yard, which then fell on the house and utterly demolished it," he explained quietly, squeezing her hand lightly.

Megan winced. She'd never seen Cassandra's house, but she'd seen pictures of the pine tree Don was referring to and she wasn't surprised it had destroyed the house. "Oh, Don, I'm sorry. Cassie must be devastated."

"It's not the house, so much as her cats." He sighed heavily, freeing his hand to rub his face again. She couldn't help noticing the circles under his eyes.

"What happened to them?" She started to lean forward, but stopped when her back protested the move. "They're not dead, are they?"

He shrugged, shaking his head. "We don't know, actually. They're missing right now."

"So they could still be alive, then?" she asked hopefully, having heard of Cassandra's fondness for her two cats, Belle and Beau.

He nodded, but didn't look encouraged. "Yeah."

Knowing Don, he'd probably been out looking for the cats when he wasn't at the hospital with Charlie and Colby. "No wonder you look like death warmed over."

"Very funny, Megan." He gave her a half-hearted glare, but she blithely ignored it.

"Have you slept at all since the 'quake?" She suspected the answer already, but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Don shook his head, looking a little sheepish. "Not really. Dad and I have been driving the hospital staff mad with all the time we spend there with Charlie and Colby."

"I can imagine." Megan tilted her head curiously as another thought occurred to her. "Which hospital were they sent to?"

He shrugged, a small rueful smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "The one there in Fontana. I think it's called Kaiser. Cass would know."

"I'm sure she would." Megan chuckled softly.

There was a buzz from the phone at his hip and he glanced at it. Apparently, he'd received a text message, most likely from Cassandra. "Listen, I gotta go."

"It's all right," she hastened to assure him. "Others need you more than I do right now."

He smiled teasingly as he clipped his phone to his belt once more. "That's right. You have Larry now, don't you?" 

"Go, Don. I'll talk to you some other time." She watched him leave, feeling a little better about her own situation, but worried about Colby and Charlie now.

*15*21*14*9*

"Are you _sure_ about this, Alan?" Megan asked the next day, glancing over her shoulder at him as he wheeled her out of the hospital. "Wouldn't it be better to wait for Charlie to wake up?"

Alan shook his head. "No, because we don't know _when_ he'll wake up. Do you have anywhere else to go?"

"I'd offer to let you stay with me, but I didn't have an address even _before_ the 'quake," Larry inserted quietly from Megan's side.

Megan smiled up at Larry; reaching up to catch his hand and squeeze it. "Thanks for the thought, though, Larry."

Larry squeezed her hand back, smiling shyly. "Well, if you two will excuse me for a few minutes, I need to go get the car."

"Thanks, Alan." She smiled fondly as she watched him make his way to the parking garage. Finally alone with Larry, she glanced up at him and asked, "Are you all right?"

He glanced at her, puzzled. "Of course I am. Why do you ask?"

"You haven't been yourself, Larry," she explained gently, squeezing his hand. "You have something on your mind."

He was silent for several moments, gazing down at their clasped hands. Finally, he lifted his eyes to meet her concerned gaze and smiled gently. "It's nothing you need to worry about, Megan. I'll tell you when the time is right."

"You're sure?" she asked, raising an eyebrow inquiringly.

He nodded as Alan's car pulled up to the curb. "I'm sure."

*15*21*14*9*

With Alan and Larry's help, Megan was soon settled in her new room. The dresser, desk, twin bed, and nightstand were made of a wood that complemented the natural wood interior of the house. Pale green sheets and a darker green blanket covered the bed and a door in the corner led to the bathroom, which already had toiletries waiting on the counter and a set of towels on the towel rack. The wheelchair moved easily across the hardwood floor and Megan quickly learned how to navigate the first floor of the house with it.

She insisted on visiting Charlie and Colby in the hospital with Alan. It took very little convincing on her part to get Alan to agree. It was a good thing the room was fairly large, because all seven of them visited the two regularly. Don, Alan, and Cassandra were all family, so it came as no surprise that they were the most frequent visitors. Since Megan came with Alan, she visited frequently, too. David and Larry visited fairly often, too. Amita didn't visit as often, but that was mainly because she was covering Charlie's classes while he was indisposed.

He didn't remain indisposed for long, waking from his coma a couple days after Megan moved into the house. Colby woke at the same time and the two were soon discharged from the hospital. After a few days of sick leave, Colby returned to work, as did Charlie. Pretty much everyone went back to work except Megan, who was still wheelchair-bound. It would have been very frustrating for her, if Don and the others hadn't made a point to come by and discuss their cases with her. She usually had good insight on them and would often be nearby when Charlie was doing some calculations at home for one of the cases. Larry would come over, too, and help Charlie out.

Even when he wasn't helping Charlie with one of the cases, Larry came over often, spending the night more often than not. At first, he claimed that he was there to see Charlie, but it quickly became obvious that the person he was _really_ there to see was Megan, so he gave up pretending pretty quickly, especially since he would usually come over while Charlie was with Colby. He _did_ , however, make an effort to visit with Alan and Charlie when they were around. They were living there, too, after all. Megan didn't mind. Larry's visits helped distract her from thinking about her injury and what it could do to her career as an FBI agent. Usually, her thoughts tended to go in a pessimistic direction because she didn't want to get her hopes up, only to have them dashed.

*15*21*14*9*

Eventually, Dr. Cordoy allowed Megan to start using crutches. This was a tremendous relief for her because it meant she could go to the field office and at least do deskwork from there. She wouldn't be able to do fieldwork until her leg had fully healed, but at least she could do more for the cases than occasionally discuss them with Don, David, or Colby at the Eppes house. The other agents who worked there all welcomed Megan back in their own unique ways when she came gimping in that first day. All those welcomes reassured her that she was doing the right thing in coming back.

Even at the house, she started doing more to help out around it. Without being asked, she did some of the cooking herself, much to Alan and Charlie's consternation the first few times they came upon her hobbling around the kitchen. She insisted, though, so they gave up trying to stop her and would often pitch in and help. She grumbled outwardly when they did this, but was inwardly pleased. She knew she was truly a member of the household when she fell into doing the little things that she had done when she had her own apartment: going through the refrigerator on a regular basis to get rid of the spoiled food, going grocery shopping when Alan and Charlie were too busy to do so, doing her share of the laundry, cleaning the house when the mess and clutter got to be too much for her, and other things of that sort.

Alan made a special dinner the night Megan's cast came off. She would have to do some physical therapy before the leg would be in complete working order, but simply having the cast gone was reason enough to celebrate. Alan made all of Megan's favorite dishes and everyone came to join the celebration: Don, Cassandra, David, Colby, Charlie, Amita, and, of course, Larry. Megan was a little embarrassed to have such a fuss made over her, but she knew it was simply their way of sharing the joy with her.

For dessert, Alan, with help from Larry, served Devil's food cake a la mode. The cake was still warm and the French vanilla ice cream freezing cold. Megan was just finishing her serving when she uncovered something round in the remains of her ice cream. Curious, she cleaned it off with a napkin and gasped when she realized what it was: a diamond ring flanked by two turquoises. Everyone looked up when Megan gasped and sly grins appeared on several faces before turning to Larry, who was blushing fiercely. When Megan finally did the same, Larry smiled shyly and slid from his chair to one knee beside Megan's. "I had planned on waiting a little longer to ask this question, Megan, but the recent earthquake reminded me how quickly and easily life can be ended. That is why I am asking this now: Megan Reeves, will you do me the honor of marrying me and becoming my wife?"

"Larry..." she began, and then paused, not sure what to say. When she hesitated for too long, she saw that panic was beginning to appear in Larry's eyes and quickly reached out to cup his cheek and reassure him, forgetting their audience for the moment. "It's just that, for once, you've left me speechless. All I can say is that I would be honored to marry you and call you my husband."

A delighted grin spread across Larry's face before he took the ring from Megan and carefully slid it onto the appropriate finger. He simply knelt there, grinning, until she tugged him to his feet and kissed him softly. He returned the kiss sweetly until whooping and hollering reminded them that they weren't alone. Blushing fiercely, they broke apart and turned to the others. Chaos ensued as everyone abandoned their seats to swarm around the newly engaged couple to offer their congratulations and make suggestions for the wedding ceremony. As they smiled, nodded and made replies, Larry and Megan held hands, weathering this friendly storm together; each determined that all future, less-friendly storms would be weathered together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who didn't see that end coming? This was the first AU chapter and the rest of them will be AU as well.


	8. Converging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't summarize without spoiling it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired by the ending scene of _Toxin_.

In the parking lot of CalSci, a 1931 Model A in mint condition pulled to a careful stop. "Thank you very much for lunch, Dr. Fleinhardt," the woman in the passenger seat commented as the driver turned off the ignition, "and the ride in your car."

"You're w-welcome, Agent Reeves," he replied, getting out and moving around to the other side to open the passenger door for her. "I hope you e-enjoyed yourself."

She smiled, touching her hand to his as she climbed out of the car herself. "Yes, I enjoyed myself very much."

"I'm very pleased to hear that." He returned her smile with a shy one of his own as he closed the passenger door behind her. "P-perhaps we could do it again sometime?"

She nodded as they walked towards where she'd left her car earlier. "I'd like that very much, Dr. Fleinhardt."

"Larry," he answered softly, glancing swiftly at his companion before returning his gaze to the pavement just in front of them.

She glanced at him, but not quickly enough to catch _his_ glance. "What?"

"M-my name is Larry," he explained, pressing his hand to his chest. "I would like you to call me by my given name."

She turned to him as they reached her car. "Only if you call me Megan. Agreed?"

He nodded, his eyes meeting hers. "A-agreed."

"Thank you, Larry, I had a wonderful time." Smiling, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek before climbing behind the wheel of her car and driving off.

He simply stood and watched her go, one of his hands coming up to, clichéd as it sounds, cover the spot where her lips had touched his skin.


	9. My Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megan visits Larry in his office again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a missing scene for _Bones of Contention_.

She had been here before, but she was hesitant all the same. While before she had come to say _thank you_ , this time she was coming to say _I'm sorry_. That she needed to apologize was reason enough to hesitate. No one ever likes to apologize, but she felt she owed him the apology. Stiffening her spine, she rapped on the door with her knuckles as she had done before. This time, however, there was a response almost immediately, "Come in!"

"Larry?" She cautiously opened the door and poked her head around it. He was seated behind his desk and watching the door, obviously not as distracted as he had been the last time she'd visited him in his office.

He smiled when he saw her, but she was pretty sure that the smile wasn't completely genuine, as if he had to force it in some way. Rising to his feet, he gestured for her to enter. "Megan, good morning! Please, come in."

"I hope I haven't interrupted anything important," she remarked as she stepped fully inside his office, closing the door behind her.

He shook his head vigorously, moving around his desk to clear off the sofa that occupied the wall opposite the door. "No, no, I was merely thinking."

"Thinking about what, exactly?" Megan asked, taking a seat on the sofa when Larry gestured for her to do so.

He shrugged, sitting down a polite distance away from her on the sofa, turning sideways and drawing one leg up to his chest so he could face her as they talked. "Oh, just about this and that."

"Why do I get the feeling you don't want me to know what you were thinking about?" she commented bemusedly, tucking one of her legs underneath her so she could face him on the sofa.

He blushed and ducked his head, picking at his shoelace. "I-I don't know what you c-could possibly mean."

"Larry, you can be amazingly obdurate at times." She covered his hand with one of hers, preventing him from completely fraying his shoelace. "You said you were thinking, but you avoided directly answering my question."

He withdrew his hand from beneath hers, clasping it with the other about his knee and hunching his shoulders, rather like a turtle withdrawing into his shell. "Isn't that what I'm _supposed_ to do? Avoid giving direct answers to questions?"

"That's you're usual MO, but sometimes you _do_ actually give a direct answer," she replied with a soft laugh.

He didn't respond to the humor, resting his cheek against his knee, his eyes focused on the stretch of fabric between them. "I don't mean to be rude, Megan, but is there a particular reason you've come by? I haven't sent you any flowers since the last time you visited me in my office."

"I came to apologize," she told him quietly, wishing he would look at her. Though his steady gaze could be disconcerting at times, the fact that he refused to meet her eyes suggested that she'd done something to hurt him, which she had, in point of fact.

"Apologize?" He glanced up at her for barely a second, not long enough for her to read the emotions in his eyes. "For what?"

She sighed, folding her hands together in her lap. "For not attending your dinner party a couple nights ago. I know you were looking forward to it. _I_ was looking forward to it."

"You had work, I understand that," he responded with a shrug, now looking at the floor, as if the carpet was more interesting than she was.

She shook her head, reaching out to cover his clasped hands with hers. "I would have called before the party was scheduled to begin, but the research I was doing for the case took me longer than I expected it to. By the time I finished, I was so exhausted, all I wanted to do was sleep."

"So you sent a message with Don." Larry had flinched when she'd placed her hand over his, but hadn't withdrawn them from her touch, which she chose to consider a good sign. "Thankfully, he had the tact to let me know privately."

She winced at the not-quite-subtle dig. "Larry, I know saying 'I'm sorry' doesn't begin to make up for it, but it's a start at least."

"A start, yes." He finally pulled his hands out from under hers to scrub at his face, giving him an excuse to keep avoiding actually looking at her and meeting her gaze. "A start for what, now _that_ is the question."

She blew out an aggravated sigh, combing her fingers through her hair to give her time to get her temper under control. "A start for getting past this bump in our relationship."

"Relationship?" He stood up and wandered over to look out the window. "Is that what you want to call it?"

"Friendship is what you share with Charlie," she answered quietly, turning in her seat to follow his progress to the window. "I hope that what we have come to share in the time we've known each other is at least a little more than friendship."

He sighed, still staring out the window. "Intellectually, I knew that your work would eventually interfere with plans we had made, but the methodology you used to get your message to me, well, it stung, to tell the truth."

"Larry, if I could have gotten the message to you any other way, I would have." She stood up and crossed to join him at the window, ostensibly to enjoy the view, but more to close the physical distance between them in hopes of closing the figurative distance as well.

He turned from the window, finally looking up to meet her gaze, sincerity in his eyes. "Whatever this is between us, it's worth a little heartache and pain."

"Does that mean you're willing to put this behind us?" she asked, hope blooming in her chest.

He nodded, a genuine smile appearing, making him seem years younger than his actual age, a number that she had yet to figure out. "Yes, it does."

"Good, because I have the evening off tonight and was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner?" she replied, a smile of her own appearing.

He nodded again. "Yes, I would love to join you for dinner."

"Excellent. My place, six-thirty." Leaning forward, she kissed his cheek as she slipped her business card into the breast pocket of today's colorful shirt, her home address written on the back of the card. "Don't be late."

He chuckled. "Oh, I won't be. Count on it."

"I will." Feeling much better about the whole situation, she left his office with a new spring in her step. Life was looking good.


	10. A Christmas Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gathers at Casa Eppes for a little holiday cheer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going on the assumption that the Eppes at least celebrate Christmas. It doesn't necessarily mean that I think they're Christian. The title is the name of an album John Denver did with the Muppets for Christmas a while back. Takes place during the Christmas between _Scorched_ and _The OG_.

"Hello, Megan, so glad you could make it," Alan Eppes greeted her with a smile when he answered the door to find her waiting on the front porch. "Here, let me take those for you."

Megan smiled as he took the stack of gaily-wrapped packages from her hands. "Thank you for inviting me, Mr. Eppes."

"Call me Alan," he told her as she removed her coat and hung it in the closet he indicated. "This is an informal gathering. Besides, you're on a first-name basis with everyone else; it'd be rather silly for you to be formal with just me."

She laughed, feeling some of the tension leave her body. This would be her first time joining the others for something other than work and she'd been a little nervous about it. "Thanks, Alan, I needed that."

"You're welcome." He smiled, indicating the archway off to their left as he returned the presents to her. "Everyone else is gathered in the living room right now. You can put the presents under the tree. I need to check on dinner."

She nodded moving in the direction he'd indicated, pausing on the threshold to take in the scene. Don was stretched out across the couch, talking with Charlie, who was perched on the arm of the couch by Don's head. Colby sat in the chair at the same end of the couch, listening to the two brothers, though Megan was fairly certain that Colby's focus was more on the younger brother than the older one. Larry was lying on his back on the floor, his hands folded under his head, and staring blankly up at the ceiling. Smiling faintly, Megan moved over to the tree and set the stack of gifts with the others under the tree. That taken care of, she sat down next to Larry on the floor, lightly running her fingers through his sandy brown hair. He blinked and glanced around, a smile spreading across his face when he saw Megan. "You made it."

"I told you I'd be here," she replied, smiling, as he shifted to a sitting position beside her. "How could I miss a chance to sample Alan Eppes' cooking?"

He smiled, squeezing her hand lightly. "I hope Alan's cooking wasn't the _only_ reason you were so determined to come."

"Of course it wasn't. I also came to see Charlie," she answered, smiling mischievously, indicating the mathematician with a nod of her head.

He returned the smile, bringing her hand up to kiss the back of it. "You look very lovely tonight, Megan."

"Thank you, Larry." She felt inordinately pleased by his compliment. "You look rather nice yourself."

He blushed, ducking his head. She couldn't help laughing. He always blushed when she complimented him, no matter what it was about. Apparently her laugh had attracted the attention of the others in the room, because Don's voice drifted over from the couch, "Hey, Megan! You're here!"

"Yes, Don, I'm here." Megan turned so she could look at the others as she spoke with them; her hand still entwined Larry's. "How are you?"

He smiled; looking rather comfortable sprawled across the couch like that. "I'm doing pretty good. How about you?"

"I'm doing just fine, thanks," she replied, sensing that Larry had started playing with the fingers of the hand that he still held in his, bending and straightening them one by one. "How are you, Charlie? Colby?"

Before either could reply, the doorbell rang. Alan's voice floated to them from the kitchen. "Could one of you boys get that?"

"I will, it's probably David." Don reluctantly stood up and paused to stretch. While he was doing so, Charlie took his place on the couch, grinning. Shaking his head, Don padded into the front hall to answer the door.

Megan watched from the corner of her eye as Charlie shifted down enough to give Colby room to sit and still leave a spot open for someone else to join them on the couch. Presumably Don. Turning to Larry, she asked softly, "Is it just me, or is there something going on between Charlie and Colby?"

"You'd be amazed by the number of things you see without meaning to when you walk softly," Larry replied, still playing with her fingers as he tilted his head towards her.

Megan tilted her head closer to Larry's to better facilitate a quiet conversation betwixt them. "Is that a yes, there _is_ something going on between them?"

"Yes," he answered with a nod, their foreheads bumping when he did so. "Oops, sorry about that."

She shook her head, straightening up. "No, it's all right, Larry."

"Hey, everyone, look who's here!" Don announced, drawing everyone's attention to the archway. David stood beside him, smiling shyly, apparently embarrassed by all the attention, and holding a stack of gifts.

There was a general chorus of hellos as David walked over to put the gifts under the tree with the others and Don sat down beside Charlie on the couch. David took the chair Colby had vacated with a sigh of relief. "How's your family, David?"

"They're fine, Megan. A little disappointed I couldn't come out for the holidays." He sighed gustily. "Maybe next time."

She nodded just as Alan entered to announce that dinner was ready. "So, if you'll all move into the dining room and take your seats, we can start eating."

"Sounds good." Megan got to her feet easily enough, but Larry was another story. He couldn't seem to get the leverage he needed from the coffee table, so Megan offered her hand.

Smiling gratefully, he took it and pulled himself up. Glancing around quickly and seeing that no one was around, Larry tilted his head up and kissed her softly. "Larry, Meg--oop!"

"It's all right, Charlie." Larry, blushing furiously, turned to face his younger colleague. "You'd have found out soon enough."

Charlie was blushing almost as much as Larry was. Megan, for her part, smiled bemusedly. She didn't feel at all ashamed of her growing relationship with Larry and would have gladly kissed him when she first arrived, but he preferred to keep things as quiet as possible for as long as they could. "I suppose I can consider this payback for the time you walked in on, um..."

"You didn't say you'd been caught, Larry," Megan commented teasingly.

Charlie's face turned a brighter red. "You told her?"

"She guessed, Charles, but I did _not_ confirm or deny it," Larry countered defensively.

Megan stepped between them, hoping to defuse the tension. "Look, guys, it's Christmas, let's save the fighting for tomorrow, okay?"

"Thanks, Megan." Larry smiled gratefully.

Charlie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Sorry, Larry. I know the others are going to find out eventually, but I want to enjoy it as long as I can."

"I know exactly what you mean, Charles. That's why I haven't said anything," Larry answered sympathetically. "Let's go in and eat, I'm starving."

Megan smiled, following the other two into the dining room. Alan sat at the head of the table, with Don on one side of him and an empty chair on the other. Colby sat next to the empty chair while David sat on his other side. Charlie sat down in that empty chair, leaving the two on the same side of the table as Don's. Larry stood by the empty chair directly next to Don's, clearly intending to push her chair in for her when she sat down, which she did. Once her chair was pushed in, Larry took the seat on her other side. After Alan said a short grace, everyone began serving themselves from the platters and bowls in the middle of the table.

*15*21*14*9*

"Thank you again for bringing me home, Larry," Megan told him with a smile as they walked down the hall towards her apartment several hours later.

He waved it off as if he was trying to swat a pesky bug. "No, no, thank _you_ for thinking of it."

"I beg your pardon?" She stared at him, wondering if he'd managed to see through her ruse.

He smiled impishly. "Oh, I'm sure your car _will_ need to be towed, but I don't think it's entirely a coincidence that it broke down."

"Ah, you saw through me." She smiled sheepishly, making a point of digging through her purse to find her keys in order to hide the blush in her cheeks. "I hope you don't mind that I staged my car problems."

"No, no, of course not." She glanced at him with curiosity as she unlocked the door. He was grinning as he added, "Why would I mind if I've said thank you?"

She laughed, opening her door and gesturing for him to precede her inside. "Gee, why does _that_ sound familiar?"

"I have no idea whatsoever," Larry replied, stepping into the apartment ahead of her.

She smiled as she followed him inside, closing the door behind her. She could hear the sarcasm virtually dripping from his voice. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Actually, would you mind if I used your couch for a bed?" Larry turned to face her, stifling a yawn. "I don't want to try driving home when I'm this tired, especially with no one to talk to."

"I _would_ mind, actually." His expression darkened and he started to move past her back towards the door. She stopped him, smiling softly. "Why don't you take my bed and I'll take the couch?"

He shook his head vigorously, waving his arms between them. "No, no, I cannot turn a lady out of her bed."

"Would you mind if we shared?" she asked, raising a curious eyebrow. The way he stared at her reminded her of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. "Just to sleep. You're not the only one who's exhausted."

A smile slowly spread across his face. "Well, if you don't mind seeing me in boxer shorts and an undershirt, yeah."

"I've seen men in less, I think I can handle it." She winked at him, grinning.

He stared at her for a few moments, blinking, before succumbing to laughter. Laughing herself, Megan led the way to the bathroom and rummaged through the cabinets before finding a spare toothbrush that she'd planned on using once the one she was currently using wore out. "Are you sure you can spare the toothbrush?"

"They're cheap, I can always buy another one." She dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand rather like he usually did. "Go ahead and do what you need to get ready for bed." He nodded, shrugging off his jacket. She paused in the doorway, holding up a hand. "Just, knock when you're done, I'm going to be changing into my pajamas."

He nodded again and she saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "Okay, I'll be sure to knock when I'm done."

"Thanks." Smiling shyly, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment. This was going to be a little more complex than she anticipated. Taking a deep breath, she released it as she pushed away from the door to change into her pajamas. She'd just finished changing and tossed her clothes into the hamper when there was a knock on the bathroom door. "You can come in, Larry."

He edged out of the bathroom, holding his folded clothes in a stack in front of him. As he'd predicted, he was wearing his undershirt and boxers. He smiled tentatively. "I hope you're not too disappointed."

"No, Larry, I'm not disappointed." She crossed to where he'd remained by the bathroom door, as if he could make an escape into it if she was disappointed, and took the clothes from him, setting them on the dresser. Turning back to him, she lowered her head to kiss him lightly. "Go ahead and get into bed, I'll just be a moment."

He smiled, reaching up to comb his fingers through her hair. "Will you leave your hair down?"

"What?" She stared at him, puzzled.

He shrugged, dropping his eyes and his hand. "Some women put their hair up or pull it back when they go to sleep. I was hoping you would leave yours down."

"We shall see." She kissed his cheek before slipping into the bathroom to finish preparing for bed. She brushed out her hair, but left it down as Larry had requested. After she brushed her teeth, she stared at the two toothbrushes side-by-side in the holder. It had been a long time since she'd shared her bed with anyone, male or female.

Shaking her head, she stepped out of the bathroom to find Larry perched on the edge of the bed. "I didn't know which side of the bed you would prefer."

"The right side," she told him, moving to that side and slipping under the covers.

Nodding, he slipped under the covers from the left. After some shifting around, they found a comfortable arrangement, curled up together with Larry's head pillowed on her shoulder. "Good night, Megan. Sleep well."

"Good night, Larry, I'll see you in the morning." She smiled into the darkness as she listened to his breathing slowly even out into the natural rhythm of sleep. Content, Megan drifted to sleep as well, musing that this was the best Christmas present she'd received this year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing at all happened between Larry and Megan apart from sleeping in the same bed. The more intimate part of the relationship is further off. *wink* The Charlie/Colby ship is a tribute to my sister, UmbraLillium. She's the one you can thank for getting me into the fandom to begin with. *grin*


	11. The Consequences of Obsession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Larry needs someone to listen, he turns to Megan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of hurt/comfort, but it's more psychological than physical. Takes place during _Double Down_.

When she heard the knock on the door, Megan wasted no time getting up and answering it, smiling when she saw who was waiting on the other side. "Hey, Larry, won't you come in?"

"Thanks, Megan, I hope I'm not disturbing you," he replied, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his blue jacket as he moved past her into the apartment.

She closed the door and turned to look at him. "No, I was waiting for you, actually."

"Were you?" He glanced up at her without actually lifting his head, his face unreadable.

She nodded, stepping closer to him. Her voice was soft and sympathetic when she spoke. "Don told me Charlie was going to visit the casino and I knew he wouldn't go without you."

"Oh." Larry closed his eyes and sighed softly, his shoulders slumping.

Megan wrapped her arms around him, drawing him into a gentle hug. He didn't respond at first, but she eventually felt his arms slide around her waist as he rested his cheek on her shoulder. "Come on, we'll be more comfortable in the living room."

"Living room, right." He sighed again and allowed himself to be steered in that direction and sat down with very little coaxing on Megan's part.

Frowning with concern, Megan sat down beside him. "Are you all right?"

"No, I don't think I am," he answered quietly, his eyes trained on his hands, which he was slowly rubbing together as if he was trying to rub something off them.

She covered his hands with hers, stopping their motion for the moment. "Would you like some tea, Larry?" He nodded silently and Megan squeezed his hands before rising to get the tea. This was a side of Larry she had yet to see and it troubled her. For all his absent-minded ways, he was unfailingly polite and never failed to chastise himself for forgetting his manners. That he had not done so showed that he was either deep in thought or deeply disturbed about something. Megan was pretty sure she knew which, but she was not about to make any assumptions. That settled in her mind, she finished making the tea and returned to the living room. Larry hadn't moved from his spot and was once again rubbing his hands together. "Here you are, Larry."

"Thank you, Megan," he answered absently, accepting the tea and staring into it as if it were an oracle of some kind.

Megan sat down beside him once more and noticed that he seemed to be holding his cup rather tightly, as if he was afraid he'd drop it if he loosened his grip. He hadn't taken a sip of the tea, either, which he normally would have by now. "Larry, what's troubling you?"

"I thought I could control it," he replied, his voice soft and tortured. "I thought I could do what needed to be done and leave it at that. I couldn't, though." He sighed, setting his untouched tea on the table to rub his face. "The siren song of the blackjack tables was too much for me. Once I started, I didn't want to stop. I wanted to keep going, keep beating the house." He slouched on the couch, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. "All I could focus on was the cards the dealer placed in front of me and the chips that I kept piling up."

Megan listened in silence, hearing the torment in his voice. "Larry, why didn't you simply say no? I'm sure Charlie and Amita would have understood."

"I hate to say no to him, Megan," he told her, dropping his hands to look at her directly for pretty much the first time that evening. "He was so eager, so ready to learn." Though his eyes were still looking at her, she knew he wasn't seeing her at the moment. He was remembering something. "That's the way he is. In order to understand his data, he _needs_ to experience whatever it is he's analyzing, as much as possible."

She smiled wryly, understanding what Larry meant. "He and Don tend to have a narrow focus when they're working on something."

"Exactly and I didn't want to spoil his fun." He shrugged, blinking as his memories faded away. "Besides, it wasn't until we were actually _at_ the casino that I realized how much trouble I was going to have."

He'd begun rubbing his hands together again and she captured them gently. "Larry, why do you keep rubbing your hands together?"

"I can still feel the texture of the cards and the chips." His voice was low and tortured as his hands closed around hers. "Even though it's been at least an hour since we finished, my fingers are itching to play again."

Tugging on his hands, she pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around him once more. Softly, she murmured in his ear, "Hold on to me. I'm here." She continued murmuring in his ear as he slid his arms around her, all but clinging to her. She released a silent sigh. _I always wondered what sort of skeletons he'd have in his closet. I didn't know they've been haunting him for so long..._ Pushing those thoughts away, Megan focused her attention on the man in her arms. "Would you like to stay with me tonight?"

"If it wouldn't be an imposition." His voice was muffled due to his cheek being pressed into her shoulder, but he made no move to let go of her.

She smiled sadly, brushing her lips across his forehead. "No, of course it wouldn't. You should know that by now, Larry."

"Thank you, Megan."

"You're welcome, Larry."

*15*21*14*9*

"Well, you know, I know two who will never get that chance." Larry turned and walked away, deeply disappointed. He'd hoped that Leonard would have learned from his mistakes, but he obviously hadn't. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced up. He managed a wan smile. "Hello, Megan."

Her voice was gentle and empathetic as she replied, "I seem to be asking this a lot these days, but are you all right?"

"Profoundly disappointed," he answered quietly, glancing over his shoulder to where Leonard had been standing. By now, though, he was gone. He sighed heavily. "How could he do something like that, Megan?"

She steered him into a nearby conference room, one with solid walls instead of glass ones. Once she'd closed the door behind them, she wrapped her arms around him. He closed his eyes as he rested his cheek on her shoulder and slipped his arms around her waist. Over the last few days, Megan had been a steady source of comfort. With all the memories of those days he'd rather forget being dredged up, she was the one person he could turn to who wouldn't make any demands. She was simply there, ready to listen or hold him. At that moment, she was rubbing his back gently, her voice soft in his ear, "I really can't say, Larry. From what you've said, he could never walk away from it like you did. He never tried to conquer the addiction. You did, and that's why you're not in his position."

"I can't walk away from it," he told her, his cheeks burning with shame. "What Leonard said was so true."

Her lips brushed his forehead and he felt it all the way down to his toes. "What exactly did Leonard say that was so true, Larry?"

"Actually, it's more what he reminded me of than what he _said_ ," he answered with a wry smile, quite comfortable where he was.

She laughed, her shoulder shaking under his cheek. "All right, what did he remind you of?"

"He reminded me of the rush I'd get when I'd beat the house, when I'd walk out of the casino with more than double the money I'd started with." His arms tightened around her, as if he could keep from getting swept up in the memories by holding on to her. "It felt so good at the time, but my grades started suffering. I was missing so many classes and forgetting to turn in assignments. I very nearly lost everything like Leonard had."

By now, she had wrapped both of her arms around him and was holding him as tightly as he was holding her. "But you didn't, Larry. You walked away from it. You saw what it was doing to you and you stopped it from completely ruining your life the way it did Leonard's. _That_ is where you differ from him, Larry." She eased him back a few steps and tilted his head up so his eyes locked with hers. "If those kids had come to you, you would have told them what it almost did to you and refused to help them beat the house. When they went to him, he helped them down a more dangerous path than you two walked. He helped them _cheat_."

"That's almost the same thing I said to him," he told her quietly. He sighed sadly. "If he had only refused to help them, those two young men would still be alive and the other wouldn't be on his way to jail."

She leaned forward and kissed him softly. "People like Leonard Philbrick don't learn from their mistakes. People like Larry Fleinhardt _do_ , though."

"Thank you, Megan, I needed that reassurance." He smiled faintly up at her.

She smiled back, kissing him again, with a little more warmth than before. "I'm done for the day, would you like to go somewhere and get your mind off what's happened?"

"Yes, I would, but I promised Charlie I'd have dinner with him, Alan, and Don tonight." He smiled apologetically. "Perhaps we can take a rain check?"

She nodded, patting his shoulder. "Yes, a rain check will be just fine."

"I'll see you soon, I expect." He cleared his throat, reluctantly dropping his arms from around her. "Have I told you how much I appreciate what you've done for me these last few days?"

She shook her head, frowning slightly. "No, you haven't."

"Well, I do. Very much." He stretched up slightly to kiss her softly.

She smiled bemusedly. "I'm always glad to help, Larry."

"You know, it goes both ways," he told her sincerely. "If you need me for anything, you know where to find me."

She nodded, smiling softly. "Yes, I know."

"I should go." He kissed her once more. "Have a good evening, Megan."

"You, too, Larry." She remained where she was as he left the conference room.

*15*21*14*9*

"Hey, Megan, your secret admirer is back," Colby greeted her the next day.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about, Granger?"

"You got flowers again." He nodded to her desk.

She smiled when she saw the bouquet sitting on her desk. A dozen white tuberoses waited for her. Spotting a card amongst them, she opened it. There were only two words written on it, but she knew they expressed a wealth of emotion and sincerity: _Thank you_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of Larry still being able to feel the cards actually came from **miriam_heddy** and her fic, [Slick](http://www.livejournal.com/community/numb3rs_slash/154563.html) (PG). I simply expanded on the idea a little.


	12. Feeling Foolish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megan notices that Larry's not himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after _Running Man_.

Megan paused when she saw a familiar figure slumped in a chair in the break room, his head in his hands. "Megan?"

"It's all right, David. You and Colby go ahead." She patted David's shoulder and he nodded, worry easing from his dark eyes when he glanced into the break room. Colby grinned, raising his eyebrows at her. She raised hers right back and he had the grace to blush slightly before he followed David to the elevators. She stepped to the break room doorway and rapped her knuckles lightly on the doorjamb. "Larry?"

He barely turned his head to see her standing there. "Hi, Megan."

"Are you all right?" she asked, concerned, as she pulled one of the other chairs closer to his and sat down.

He shook his head, his voice muffled. "No, I feel like an utter fool."

"Larry, he fooled a lot of people," she told him firmly, even as she kept her voice gentle and cajoling. She knew without clarification exactly what he meant. "He fooled Colby, David, me, even Charlie."

He sighed heavily, his shoulders rising and falling under his coat. "David wasn't fooled for long."

"Yeah, well, he knows what it's like to have a hard-luck story better than any of the rest of us," Megan reminded him, remembering the intensity in David's eyes as he'd essentially told Wesley to stop complaining.

He finally lifted his face from his hands, staring at her with such a bleak expression that she longed to gather him up in her arms and hug him, but she was restrained by the fact that they were in the break room, where anyone might see them or even walk in on them. "The worst part is that he truly had potential. He could have made something of himself instead of trying to relive the same part of his life."

"Larry, he made that choice long before you met him," Megan told him, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "Taking young men and women with potential under your wing is what you do best. Just ask Charlie."

Larry smiled faintly, turning his hand over under hers. "Sometimes I wonder if my age makes me blind to certain truths so obvious to a younger man."

"Now you're being silly," she told him with a bemused smile as he laced their fingers together, absently rubbing his thumb against hers. "He'd managed to perfect his technique for passing as a college student and only someone who knew to look close would wonder."

He lifted his eyes to hers, admiration in his smile this time. " _You_ knew to look close."

"Only after David pointed out that most people with hard-luck stories don't mention them at the drop of a hat," she answered modestly, a hint of warmth in her cheeks.

Still smiling, he lifted her hand to press a kiss to the back of it. "Would you like to debate it further over a drink?"

"I'd love to," she answered, smiling fondly.

Without another question, he rose to his feet and tugged on her hand to help her to her feet. Still holding hands and quite unconscious of that fact, they left the FBI offices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ron Allen's real name _is_ Wesley. David tells the others towards the end, when they've realized that he's going to steal something again.


	13. Apologizing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Larry can't seem to stop apologizing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Episode tag to _Running Man_. Immediately follows the previous chapter.

"Again, I want to apologize for storming in on your meeting, Megan," Larry told her as they sat in the small café, nursing the drinks they'd ordered: a hot chocolate for Megan and a vanilla shake for Larry. "I should have let the experts do their job."

She simply smiled softly and bemusedly. "Larry, it's part of who you are to take a promising young student under your wing, to mentor them. That's what you did when you met Charlie and that's why you can't understand why Leonard did what he did."

"I told Charlie and Amita that I made a complete fool of myself over the whole situation," he admitted quietly, stirring the thick white shake with his straw.

Megan covered his hand with hers. "Not a _complete_ fool, Larry. Your heart was in the right place, as it always is."

"W-well, it's been a long time since I felt so stupid," Larry told her, feeling a little warmth creep into his cheeks at her compliment, as usual. He wasn't sure exactly why only her compliments affected him that way, but he would gladly endure the small discomfort in order to spend more time with Megan.

She squeezed his hand before withdrawing hers and he found his attention caught by them. So slender and delicate, the nails painted a different color every week. Yet, he knew they could be deadly, whether empty or holding a weapon. "Larry, are you listening to me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Megan." He snapped his gaze up to her face, his cheeks growing warmer over the fact that he hadn't heard a word she'd said. "What did you say?"

She laughed softly. "I said that I would certainly have felt stupid in your place, but at least you heard the facts and learned from them. I'm sure there are people out there who would have insisted that they _know_ Ron Allen, that it must be a simple coincidence, him having the same name as a dead person."

"I don't believe in coincidences, Megan," he reminded her, recovering his composure enough to actually tease her. "You should know that by now."

She laughed again, louder and richer this time, and he basked in the sound. "I certainly do, but the point I was trying to make is that you are wise because you are willing to admit that you've made a mistake and take steps to correct it." He shrugged, glancing down at where he'd clasped his hands together on the table. He blinked when her hand covered his and looked up at her questioningly. "Come on, let's get you home. Sleep is what you need right now."

"We both do," he reminded her quietly, unclasping his hands in order to hold hers between them, his eyes still on hers.

She smiled, squeezing his hands. He smiled back and stood up. She did the same and they walked out of the café hand-in-hand. _It's not candlelight and roses, but it seems to be working..._


	14. Near Miss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie and Larry need to go to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one dies, but being an FBI agent _is_ a dangerous job. Takes place between _Running Man_ and _Protest_.

Dr. Larry Fleinhardt was quite pleased with the direction his personal life was taking. Special Agent Megan Reeves was not only a very lovely lady, but quite intelligent and witty as well. He couldn't understand why she preferred his company to that of the other men in her life. Charlie, for example, was a bright and shining star, rising quickly in his field. Don, his brother, wasn't exactly a dummy, either, and she saw him more often. Charlie's voice disturbed his musings before they veered into the depressing. "Larry."

"What is it, Charles?" Larry asked, not liking the look of sympathy on his young friend's face. "Has something happened?"

He nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah, something has. We need to go to the hospital."

"The hospital?" Larry repeated, feeling the blood drain from his face. "Who's been hurt?" Charlie dropped his eyes to the floor. "Not Colby..."

Charlie's eyes snapped back up, exasperation in their brown depths. "No, Colby's fine."

"Don?" Larry frowned, puzzled. "David?"

Charlie shook his head at each name. His voice was gentle as he told Larry, "No, it's Megan, Larry. She's hurt."

"M-Megan?" Larry blinked and stared at Charlie, desperately hoping that this was some kind of sick joke; that Charlie would grin and tell him that he was kidding around. "W-What happened?"

Charlie shook his head, spreading his hands helplessly. "I-I don't know. Don just called and told me that Megan's been hurt."

"W-we need to go to--to, um..." Larry paused in the act of moving towards the door, feeling a little lost. "Where is it that we need to go?"

Charlie smiled sadly, gently taking Larry by the arm and leading him from the office. "The hospital, Larry. That's where we're going."

"Right, right." Larry nodded, feeling dazed, hardly aware of where Charlie was leading him, one thought and one thought alone running through his mind: _Megan was hurt._

*15*21*14*9*

"Hey, Charlie, Larry," Don greeted the two upon their arrival at the hospital, smiling faintly.

Charlie got straight to the point, asking the question Larry was almost afraid to voice. "How is she, Don?"

"She's fine. I just talked to the doctor and he said that she'll recover in no time." Don squeezed Charlie's shoulder reassuringly.

Charlie nodded and Larry simply breathed a sigh of relief. "W-what happened to her, Don? How did she get hurt?"

"We got in a firefight with some suspects and one of the bullets caught Megan in the chest." Don shook his head. "Thank God for bulletproof vests, right?"

Charlie's grin was one of pure relief. "Yeah, yeah, thank God for them."

"Was she knocked unconscious?" Larry asked, trying to keep his anxiety from showing, but not being entirely successful.

Don nodded, looking sober. "Yeah, it knocked her out, but she was damned lucky."

"What do you mean, Don?" Charlie looked at his brother questioningly.

He shrugged, glancing from one to the other. "The doctor I talked to said that most of the impact from the bullet was absorbed by the Kevlar in the vest and whoever shot Megan would have missed her heart anyway."

"Th-that's good, right?" Larry looked to Don for the reassurance he needed.

Don nodded, his smile returning. "Yeah, Larry, that's good."

*15*21*14*9*

"Agent Reeves, there are a couple men who'd like to see you," Doctor Michael Clairn informed her a few minutes later.

Megan blinked, puzzled. "Did they say who they were?"

"Two CalSci professors," Michael replied with a wry smile. "A Mr. Charles Eppes and a Mr. Larry Flein-something. I didn't quite catch his last name."

Megan smiled, pleased. "Let them in, please."

"Yes, ma'am." The doctor nodded and moved to the doorway.

Two familiar figures entered the hospital room. "Hey, Charlie, Larry."

"Hey, Megan, how are you feeling?" Charlie replied, taking Megan's hand and squeezing it gently in greeting.

She smiled wryly, returning his squeeze with one of her own. "I've been better, but I could be a lot worse."

"I-I know, the doctor and Don both said as much," Larry replied, taking her other hand in both of his, holding it tightly.

She turned her head on the pillow to look at Larry. His expression was serious and she could see the remnants of worry in his hazel eyes. "You knew from the start what I did for a living, Larry. You knew I could be injured doing my job, maybe even killed."

"Yes, I know, Megan, but I guess knowing it as an abstract idea and knowing it as a concrete fact are two very different things." He smiled crookedly; worry still lurking in his eyes.

She smiled back, forgetting Charlie was in the room for the moment. "Look, I won't be allowed to work for at least a week, to allow my body to recover. Feel free to come by after you've finished teaching for the day. Okay?"

"Okay." Still smiling, he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

She raised an eyebrow, smiling bemusedly. "Surely you can do better than that."

"Yes, but they're monitoring your heart rate, Megan. They'd know." Charlie chuckled, reminding them of his presence.

Larry and Megan laughed with him. "We'd better go. I'll be here to pick you up when the doctor releases you tomorrow."

"You don't need to, Larry," she told him, touched by his offer.

He smiled, patting her hand. "I _want_ to."

"All right." She smiled back, turning her hand over under his to grasp it firmly.

Squeezing her hand gently, Larry followed Charlie from the room, pausing in the doorway to glance at her one last time. She nodded to him and he nodded back before he finally left, gently closing the door behind him. Sighing softly, she wriggled into a slightly more comfortable position and closed her eyes, allowing sleep to claim her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I knew I wanted to write a story where Megan gets hurt as a result of her job, but I had trouble deciding _how_ she got injured until I remembered reading [Close Call](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2694989/1/) by [miacembra](http://www.fanfiction.net/u/602324/) and it gave me the idea I needed to finish writing this fic.


	15. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megan convinces Larry that she's recovered from the injury she received in the previous chapter.

"How are we today?" Larry asked upon letting himself into Megan's apartment one evening. Without waiting for her to reply, he added, "I brought dinner with me."

She smiled as he flourished a pair of paper bags. One was sure to have a green salad for her while the other would contain something white for him. "Hello, Larry, we are fine. What gourmet fare did you purchase for us this time?"

"A chicken Caesar salad for you," he produced it and handed it to her. "And tofu and white rice for myself."

She accepted the fork he handed to her and started to eat the salad. At least he'd gotten chicken with it this time. The doctor's orders that she eat healthy while she was recovering had been taken seriously by Larry and he'd bought only salads for her during the week since she'd been injured. To be honest, it was starting to get annoying, but she wasn't about to tell him that. She knew he did it because he cared and wanted to make sure she would be fine. "Thank you, Larry."

"No, no, don't thank me," he replied, waving his chopsticks around like a pair of magic wands. "I am glad to do what I can for you."

She nodded, having expected a reply like that from him. "Still, it's very thoughtful of you to come by every evening and bring me food."

"Yeah, well, I figure food would be more welcome than tuberoses at this point." He smiled shyly at her over his carton of white rice and tofu.

She laughed, remembering how much the others had teased her when the flowers were delivered. Don, David, and Colby had all assumed they were from a secret admirer and she had let them think that. "Mm, yes, food is better than flowers, though neither lasts very long."

"What do you mean?" He glanced at her curiously.

She showed him her empty plate. "Food is consumed in short order, especially if it's delicious." Grinning, she set the plate and fork aside. "Flowers, once they're cut, will eventually wilt and die, no matter how much water you give them."

"Yes, but you can preserve dried flowers," he pointed out, setting aside his almost-empty carton and chopsticks with a grimace. "Food, well, you don't want to preserve what's left of it."

She shook her head, unable to keep from grinning. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a dirty mind, Dr. Fleinhardt?"

"Just you, Agent Reeves," he answered with a grin of his own, rising to clear away the remains of their dinner.

Previous experience had taught Megan that he would insist on clearing up, so she curled into her favorite corner of the couch, sipping her tea placidly. When he returned and took his usual seat, she set her tea aside and turned to face him directly. "Larry, why won't you kiss me?"

"I-I _have_ kissed you," he pointed out, avoiding her eyes. The last time he'd done so, he'd been mad at her. She suspected his reason for avoiding her eyes was different this time. "Quite a few times if you'll recall."

She shook her head, scooting towards him on the couch. He, in turn, scooted away. "Yes, but not since I was injured last week."

"Y-yeah, well, the doctor said not to strain your heart, didn't he?" Larry continued scooting away until his back found the arm of the couch.

Megan didn't stop scooting until there was practically no space between them. "That was a week ago, Larry. I've been given a clean bill of health."

"Y-you have?" He stared at her with wide eyes, once again reminding her very much of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

She nodded, smiling. "Yes, I had an appointment today."

He frowned slightly. "I didn't know you had one."

"That's because I didn't tell you about it," she replied, her smile turning into a grin. "I wanted to surprise you."

He smiled faintly, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "You succeeded admirably."

"I'm glad to hear it." She leaned forward to kiss him, but he turned his head so the kiss landed on his cheek instead of his lips. She sighed, frustrated. This was _not_ how she'd planned on the evening going. "Larry, the doctor himself said I'm fine."

He resolutely kept his head turned away, though she could tell that he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. "It's only been a week, Megan, don't you think--"

"Larry, sometimes it's better to stop thinking and simply feel." That said, she turned his head and kissed him as she'd been wanting to since that day in the hospital.

He stiffened at first, but she persisted and he soon melted into the kiss, his arms encircling her waist to hold her close. When she pulled away to catch her breath, he quirked an eyebrow up at her, "Are you trying to seduce me, my dear Agent Reeves?"

"That depends, my dear Dr. Fleinhardt," she replied; tongue firmly planted in her cheek. "Is it working?"

He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Perhaps we should perform a series of tests to determine that."

"I'm all for plenty of tests," she answered, lowering her head to kiss him once more. This time, he responded eagerly to her overtures. _I do believe these **tests** will prove conclusively that it worked..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can't figure out where this is heading...


	16. Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Larry and Megan talk after their first "carnal" encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for ivinnuna on LJ as a birthday gift. Direct sequel to the previous chapter.

He was not very surprised to find himself in Megan's bed when he woke up. It had become a familiar sight to wake up to in the mornings, almost as familiar as his bedroom at his condo. What was unfamiliar about the situation was his seeming lack of pajamas. The only time he slept au natural was when he had an encounter of the 'carnal' kind. His eyes widening as the realization sank in, he turned over to see Megan still asleep, a slight smile on her face that reminded him of the Mona Lisa. Her hair was charmingly mussed and what he could see of her shoulders was that they were bare. A smile curled his lips as memories of the previous night began to cascade through his mind. As he recalled just how wonderful it had been, panic began to set in. _This can't happen again._ He started to scramble from the bed, already looking for his clothes, but his momentum was arrested by a firm grip on his wrist. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Uh, Megan, I thought y-you were still as-sleep." He closed his eyes. _Perhaps we should just get this conversation over with._

She tugged on his wrist until he lay back down and turned onto his side to face her. Her faint smile was still in place and her green eyes were sleepy and content. "I was, but your eagerness to leave made it hard to stay asleep."

"Oh, I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to, um, to--" His apology was cut short when she covered his mouth with hers. He stiffened at first, surprised, but slowly melted into the kiss. He never could resist her.

When she ended the kiss, he slowly opened his eyes to stare at her bemusedly. "Larry, you didn't answer my question."

"I didn't?" He frowned slightly, puzzled. Then he remembered. "Oh, yeah, um, well, I think we should--"

"Stop seeing each other?" Megan asked, raising her eyebrows, her lips quirking into a bemused smile of her own.

He stared at her, surprised, and then he narrowed his eyes slightly. "How did you know I was going to suggest it?"

"Charlie told me about you and Laurel," she told him, looking a little sheepish.

He propped his head on his hand, gazing curiously at her. "How much did he tell you about Laurel and I?"

"Well, he told me that you tried to break up with Laurel after your first 'carnal' encounter with her," Megan explained, raising a hand to stroke his cheek.

He leaned his cheek into her touch, smiling sheepishly. "Well, it _was_ an untwinable event."

"Actually, Larry, your argument is unfounded," she told him, trailing her hand down his neck to his chest.

He raised his eyebrows at that, covering her hand with his. "Oh? How is it unfounded?"

"The factors that made the encounter untwinable would be present in any and all encounters that would follow, therefore, the encounter would actually very twinable." She turned her hand over under his and twined their fingers together.

He brought her hand up to his lips to press a soft kiss to the back of it, holding her gaze the whole time. "Can you demonstrate the validity of your claim?"

"Oh, yes." She was grinning now, her green eyes bright with mischief.

He smiled back as he lowered his head to kiss her warmly.


	17. On Carnality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Larry ponders 'carnality' early one morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place post 'Running Man'

Larry, for the most part, preferred not to indulge in 'carnal' relationships. Adding the 'carnal' aspect to a relationship complicated matters more often than not. Of course, there were one or two exceptions to every rule. In recent memory, Larry had encountered two exceptions to this particular 'rule': Laurel Wilson and Megan Reeves. The relationship with Laurel had started out as a friendship that somehow veered into the carnal one night. They dated for several months after that, but they agreed that they made better friends than lovers in the end and still remained friends to this day.

Megan, however, was a completely different story. Clearly an intelligent woman, he came to look forward to seeing her whenever she came to CalSci to speak with Charlie about a case he was assisting the FBI with. He enjoyed their conversations and spent as much time with her as he could. In the end, he couldn't quite pinpoint exactly when they started 'dating' as opposed to simply spending time together, but it didn't really matter.

What mattered was that adding the carnal aspect to the relationship had done nothing to detract from the relationship as a whole. Megan was always delighted to see him, just as he was always happy to see her. To tell the truth, he was surprised that she desired him at all. He was pragmatically aware that he wouldn't be getting love notes from his students. Not that he did anything about the ones he'd received when he was Charlie's age.

In any case, he'd been surprised that a gorgeous woman like Megan Reeves had wanted him. Still wanted him, in fact, if the touch upon his bare chest was an indicator. Smiling, he rolled onto his side. "Good morning, Megan."

"Morning, Larry," she replied, smiling lazily as she combed her fingers through his chest hair just as lazily. "What were you in such deep thought about?"

"Just thinking about the twists and turns life takes," he told her, catching her hand with his and bringing it up to his lips to press a kiss to the palm.

"Any twists and turns in particular?" she asked; freeing her hand to trace his features with the tip of a long, slim finger.

"Mostly the ones that led us to each other," he answered softly, cupping her cheek with his hand. "I'm very glad that you came out to Los Angeles, Megan."

She smiled, turning her head to kiss the palm of his hand. "I'm very glad, too, Larry."

Smiling back, he leaned down to kiss her softly. It quickly became less gentle, arms and legs becoming entangled as they pulled each other closer, blood beginning to run hot and pound in their veins. Just before his brain shut down completely, Larry mused that it was a good thing it was a Saturday and that Megan had the day off from work.


	18. Adopting A Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Larry and Laurel Wilson find someone on their first hike of the spring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> VERY AU. Written before we learned more about Megan's family situation.
> 
> Some discussion of kidnap and death.

"I've missed our hikes together, Larry," Laurel Wilson commented as she paused on the trail, waiting for him to catch up to her. As she waited, she took a swig of her water bottle.

He smiled as he caught up to her, tucking his own water bottle away. "I've missed them, too. The mountains are beautiful in the spring, aren't they?"

"Yes, very beautiful." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. In their many years of friendship, she had learned how to read his expressions and mannerisms. What those expressions and mannerisms had told her since they'd started hiking had indicated that he was nervous around her for some reason. He'd never gone out of his way to initiate physical contact between them until they'd started dating the previous spring. Today, however, he was going out of his way to _avoid_ touching her and she was determined to find out why. "There's an overlook not too far ahead. Why don't we stop there to eat lunch?"

He nodded vigorously, a relieved smile appearing on his face. "Sure, sure, that sounds like an excellent idea."

"Let's go, then." Double-checking that she'd secured her water bottle properly, she continued down the trail. Though she'd enjoyed going out with Larry, she'd decided they were better off as friends rather than lovers and had told him as much when she'd suggested that they go back to their platonic relationship. He'd agreed and that had been the end of their romance. When she'd come back in the fall, they'd gone on several hikes, but early snow in the mountains had put an unexpected end to those hikes by the beginning of November. Now it was March, the snow had melted, and Laurel just knew that something had happened during the intervening months to make Larry as skittish as a colt around her. She could only assume that he'd started dating someone else.

They reached the overlook and settled on a couple rocks to eat their lunch. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Yes, quite beautiful," Laurel agreed, breathing deeply of the fresh air, automatically identifying the various scents that reached her nose. "Larry, is something wrong?"

He glanced at her, eyes wide. "No, no, there's nothing wrong. Why would you even ask me such a question?"

"You've been skittish all morning," she pointed out gently. "You avoid touching me, which is not what you normally do."

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "There is nothing wrong, Laurel, I can assure you of that much."

"Then why are you so skittish around me today?" she asked, reaching out to touch his arm. He flinched, but didn't pull away this time.

Hesitantly, he patted her hand. "W-well, the fact of the matter is, I've met someone."

"I thought so." She nodded, smiling. He stared at her and she couldn't help laughing at the expression on his face. Squeezing his arm, she released it as she explained. "You're afraid that touching me, even in a platonic sense, would be a form of betrayal. As such, you're avoiding any physical contact between us."

He ducked his head, blushing. "You're not upset?"

"About you dating another woman? No." She shook her head. He looked skeptical. "Larry, I'm the one who suggested that we go back to being friends. Why would I be upset over you dating someone else when it was _my_ idea to begin with?"

He shrugged, glancing at her before returning his gaze to the panoramic view spread out before them. "I don't know. I've always thought women were possessive of their men, even the ones they're no longer dating."

"Not this woman." She glanced down at her hands laced together in her lap. "In fact, I, um, started dating someone else myself."

"Oh?" She could tell that he'd turned to look at her and could hear the curiosity in his voice. "Anyone I know?"

She nodded, watching him out of the corner of her eye. "I'm pretty sure you do. He's a professor at CalSci."

"Another colleague?" Larry sounded thoughtful now. "What does he teach?"

She ducked her head further, tucking her chin into her chest. "Science. He runs the combustion lab we have on campus."

"You're dating Bill Waldie?" he asked and she could hear the humor in his voice. Before she could respond, he spoke again, his voice piqued with curiosity, "Hello, who do we have here?"

Turning around, Laurel saw a young girl standing not too far from the trees. Her hair was long, matted, and dirty, her skin grimy, her clothes ragged, and her feet bare of any coverings at all. It was the girl's eyes that drew Laurel's attention, though. A clear, greenish-gray color, she could see caution warring with hunger in those eyes. "Hi, there, little one. Are you hungry?"

"Meh?" The little girl tilted her head to one side, eyeing the apple Laurel was holding out to her.

Larry shifted from his rock to crouch beside Laurel's and the girl growled, baring her teeth and backing away a few steps. "Larry, I suggest you don't move any closer to her. She doesn't seem to like you, or maybe even males in general."

"I was just thinking the same thing," Larry replied, his eyes on the girl as he carefully moved back and resumed his seat.

She was glancing from Laurel to Larry and back again, no longer growling, but not moving any closer to them. After digging around in his lunch bag, Larry handed Laurel his apple. Turning her attention back to the girl, Laurel offered both apples to her, hoping they would tempt her more than a single apple had. "Come on, little one, we're not going to hurt you. Uncle Larry and I just want to be your friends. That's all we want."

"Nuh!" The girl hissed, backing further away. "No friend."

Next to Laurel, Larry sighed. "Maybe you should try tossing one to her."

"Do you think she'd be able to catch it?" Laurel didn't take her eyes off the girl. "She looks young."

She could almost hear him shrug, even though she wasn't looking at him. "Looks can be very deceiving, you know."

"Yes, I do." Shrugging, Laurel gently tossed one of the apples towards the girl.

The greenish-gray eyes shifted to track the fruit and she easily reached up and caught it. Immediately, she returned her attention to Laurel and Larry, even as she ate the apple. She seemed unmindful of the juices flowing down her chin, her eyes on the two adults. "What should we do now?"

"We could try calling the police, have them come pick her up," Laurel suggested, unwilling to leave the girl to fend for herself any longer.

"Actually, we should probably call the FBI, since we're in a national forest," Larry suggested thoughtfully. "I don't have a cell phone, though."

Laurel started digging through her pockets. "I do. You never know when you might need it."

"More?" The little girl's voice startled Laurel into looking up. She'd moved closer, her head tilted to one side. When she saw that Laurel was looking at her, she pointed to the apple Laurel still held. "More?"

Laurel held out the apple to the girl, even as she continued to dig through her pockets for her cell phone. "Yes, more."

"No move?" The girl glanced at Larry, who held up his hands to show that they were empty. "Good." The girl reached out and took the apple, retreating several steps to eat it.

Laurel finally found her cell phone and offered it to Larry. "I have no idea whom to call."

"I know just the person," Larry replied, taking the phone and dialing a number.

*15*21*14*9*

Megan was deep in a book she'd been trying to read for the past few months, but never seemed to have the time to actually _read_ when her cell phone rang, startling her. Grimacing, she saved her spot and pulled out the phone. Not recognizing the number, she flipped it open, "Reeves."

"Megan, it's Larry." His was the last voice she'd expected to hear, since he was supposed to be on a hike with his friend, Laurel Wilson.

She grinned despite the unexpectedness of the call, "I thought you didn't have a cell phone?"

"I don't, this is Laurel's," he explained.

She could almost see him waving his free hand in the air as he said that. "Ah, I see. So, um, why are you calling?"

"Laurel and I have found something that requires the FBI's expertise," he told her, his voice utterly serious.

Megan immediately sat straight up, setting the book aside. "What did you two find?"

"A girl who looks to be about seven or eight," he replied quietly. "She's somewhat articulate, but not for a child her age."

Megan nodded, having automatically written down the information. "I'll contact Don and let him know what's going on."

"Uh, could you come, too?" Larry requested. "She doesn't seem to trust men."

She smiled. "I was planning on it, but thanks for the heads-up."

"You're welcome. See you soon." His voice softened on the last phrase and she felt a warm glow settle in the area of her heart.

"See you, Larry."

*15*21*14*9*

"Thank you, Laurel." Larry handed the phone back to her.

She accepted it with a raised eyebrow. "Megan? You're on a first name basis with an FBI agent?"

"Several, actually," he replied, ducking his head, but not quickly enough to hide his blush from her.

She tilted her head slightly. "She's the woman you're dating, isn't she?"

"How did you guess?" he asked, staring at her.

She grinned, patting his shoulder. "We've been friends for a long time, Larry."

"No friend!" the girl screeched, drawing their attention back to her.

Laurel glanced at Larry then back at the girl. Pointing at him, she asked, "Friend?"

"No!" The girl was glaring suspiciously at him.

Laurel pointed to herself. "Friend?"

"Yes, friend." The girl nodded emphatically.

Laurel looked at Larry apologetically. "It would seem you were right about her not trusting men."

"Yes, so it would seem," Larry agreed, gazing thoughtfully at the girl.

She sidled up to Laurel, being careful to stay on the side opposite Larry. "More food?"

"No, I'm sorry, I don't have more, little one," Laurel answered apologetically. "Water?" The girl nodded vigorously. Laurel pulled out her water bottle and handed it to her. She stared at it in puzzlement, licking at the label and making a face. Smiling bemusedly, Laurel took the bottle back from her and opened it. Carefully, the girl tipped it up and poured some water into her mouth. Unfortunately, she forgot to tip the bottle down before she closed her mouth and ended up pouring some onto her face. Coughing and spluttering, she dropped the bottle and Laurel stooped to rescue it before all of the water spilled out. "Are you all right, little one?"

The girl backed away from Laurel, still coughing and spluttering. "It looks like she doesn't trust you now."

"So it would seem." Laurel sighed and stowed her water bottle. "Larry, how is the FBI going to know where to find us?"

He waved a hand dismissively. "I already told Megan where we'd be hiking in case she needed to contact me for some reason."

"Good thinking." Laurel grinned, still watching the girl, who was now rubbing at her face in order to dry it. "You know, she kinda reminds me of a cat."

The girl froze at Laurel's words, looking around swiftly. "Ma?"

"I think you triggered a response, Laurel," Larry commented quietly. "Say it again."

Laurel glanced at him, puzzled. "Say what?"

"C-A-T," he spelled, still talking quietly.

She nodded, turning to watch the girl as she said, "Cat?"

"Ma?" The girl spun around in a circle, her eyes wide and searching. "Where you?"

Laurel looked at Larry. "I think her mother must be around here."

"If she were, we probably would have spoken to her before now," Larry answered soberly. "It's possible she's dead and the girl hasn't accepted that fact yet."

At that moment, a tall slender woman appeared on the trail, wearing a baseball cap with 'FBI' emblazoned across it in yellow, jeans, boots, and an FBI windbreaker layered over a turtleneck. The girl spotted her and shouted, "MA!"

"What?" The woman stopped just in time to catch the girl when she pelted at her. The woman turned to Larry, still holding the girl. "Larry?"

He shrugged, rising from his seat as the woman approached. "I'm as puzzled as you are Megan. Try saying 'cat'."

"Ma," the girl purred, nuzzling her face into Megan's neck.

Megan raised an eyebrow, adjusting her hold on the girl. "Cat?"

"Hi, Ma!" the girl chirped, straightening up to look into Megan's eyes. She frowned and tapped the bill of Megan's hat. "What dis?"

Megan took the hat off and offered it to the girl. "It's a hat."

"Hat?" the girl asked, then flinched and burrowed into Megan's shoulder, clutching the hat. "Not friends!"

Laurel blinked and glanced around. While her attention had been focused on 'Megan', four men had appeared and were watching the other woman with varying expressions of amusement. One she recognized as Professor Charles Eppes, a friend of Larry's. One of the strange men bore a strong resemblance to Charlie, so she assumed he was his brother, Don. The remaining two were of similar height and build, though one was white with dark blonde hair while the other was black with no hair at all. "What's wrong with her?"

"Apparently, she doesn't trust men," Larry explained, seeming quite at ease among all of the newcomers. Laurel noticed that, of the five newcomers, Charlie was the only one not wearing a gun. "Laurel and I haven't quite figured out why."

She smiled shyly when they turned to look at her, feeling distinctly uncomfortable under their scrutiny, especially Megan's. "Hello."

"Hi, Laurel." Charlie stepped forward first, greeting her with a handshake.

She gratefully shook his hand, watching out of the corner of her eye as the girl began squirming in Megan's arms. "Not friends! Not friends!"

"Shh, it's okay, little one," Megan murmured, stroking the girl's matted hair. "No one's going to hurt you."

The man Laurel had guessed to be Charlie's brother moved to Megan's side. "Maybe you should take her to the hospital, Megan. Get her cleaned up and looked over."

"Just what I was thinking, Don," Megan agreed. If Laurel hadn't been watching the other woman so closely, she'd have missed the way she freed a hand long enough to squeeze Larry's arm. He simply nodded and watched as Megan started down the trail, still carrying the wriggling and squirming girl.

Everyone turned to Larry and Laurel now. Don was the one who spoke up, pulling out a pad of paper and a pencil. "Could you two tell us exactly what happened?"

*15*21*14*9*

"Hey, Megan, do you have anything for me?" Don greeted her a couple hours later. The girl was curled up under Megan's desk, asleep.

Nodding, Megan rose and led him a short distance away so they wouldn't disturb the girl. "She's about ten years old and answers to the name 'Cat'."

"Ma?" She peeked out from under the desk, spotted Don, and hissed, "Not friend!"

Don raised an eyebrow at Megan. "Yeah, she doesn't like men because a man is the reason she was wandering around in the forest to begin with."

"Any idea when this happened?" Don asked, anger flashing in his dark eyes.

Megan shook her head. "None at all. I was going to have Colby search for dental records that match Cat's."

"Sounds good." Don nodded. "Be sure to let him know."

Megan nodded back. "Oh, and I was going to have David search our missing persons archive to see if any of those people resemble her."

"That's not a bad idea. How far back do you think he'll need to go?" Don asked, curious.

Megan shrugged. "Several years at least, judging by how articulate she is."

"She may have lost some of that," he pointed out gently.

She sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Yeah, I know."

"Don't wear yourself out," he cautioned her. "We're not racing against a clock this time."

She laughed and went back to her desk. Cat had watched them from her spot under the desk the whole time and promptly rested her chin on Megan's knee once she sat down. "Ma."

"Hi, Cat." Megan patted Cat's head and clicked a window open on her desktop.

*15*21*14*9*

"Are you all right, Laurel?" Larry asked as they drove down from the hiking trail. "You've been awfully quiet."

She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I'm just thinking about the girl."

"I'm sure Megan's taking good care of her," Larry offered, looking away from the road for just a moment. "She's dealt with children before in the course of her job."

Laurel nodded, noting the way his voice softened when he said Megan's name, as if he was caressing it. There was no doubt in her mind that he'd lost his heart to the woman. "I wouldn't be surprised, but I doubt any of those children have called her 'Ma'."

"Well, yes, th-that's true, but I've yet to see her unable to handle a situation," Larry replied, admiration for Megan evident in his voice.

Laurel nodded, biting her lip. Even though they had decided they were better friends than lovers, there was still a small part of her that felt possessive of Larry. Hearing him speak so fondly of another woman caused a pang in her heart, but Laurel refused to let it ruin his obvious happiness. She reminded herself that she'd given him up willingly and that was the end of that. Besides, she had Bill now. A small smile came to her face as she thought of him.

*15*21*14*9*

"Not friend!" With that declaration, Cat retreated into a corner of the kneehole of Megan's desk.

Glancing up, Megan smiled weakly as Colby handed her a file folder. "This was the closest match I could find."

"Thanks, Colby." Megan took the folder and opened it. She'd half-expected the name at the top of the page, but it still brought tears to her eyes.

Cat carefully poked her head out from under the desk. "Ma sad?"

"It's all right, Cat." Megan stroked Cat's hair gently.

Keeping a wary eye on Colby, Cat climbed up into Megan's lap and curled up against her. "Cat here, Ma."

"I know, Cat, thank you." Megan held Cat close, relief and grief surging through her in waves.

Colby watched them with some amusement. "Would you like me to leave you two alone?"

"Could you go get Don for me, Colby?" Megan requested. "I don't think I'll be going anywhere anytime soon."

He nodded, grinning. "Will do." He turned and left just as David arrived.

"Here's the missing persons reports you asked for, Megan," he told her, offering a file folder with an unreadable expression on his face.

Nodding, she accepted the file and opened it. Two familiar faces stared back at her. Cat peered at the folder and pointed to one of the pictures. "Ma?" She glanced at Megan. "Ma?"

"No, Cat." Megan pointed to the same picture Cat had. " _That's_ your Ma."

Cat pointed to the other picture. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Megan nodded, blinking back tears.

Cat glanced up and flinched against Megan. Hastily composing herself, Megan looked up as well. "What's up, Megan?"

"Take a look, Don." She handed him the folder.

Puzzled, he did so, blinking when he saw the one picture. "She looks like you."

"She's my sister," Megan explained quietly, rubbing Cat's back soothingly.

Don looked back and forth between Megan and the picture. "Audrey Martin is your sister?"

"Yes, she was married twelve years ago to Jim Martin and they had a daughter two years later," Megan explained, making a valiant effort to keep her voice steady.

Don looked at the other picture, and then at Cat. "Catherine Martin?"

Megan nodded, still stroking Cat's back. "When Catherine was five years old, they went shopping and were never found."

"Let's go somewhere a little more private," he suggested, offering his hand to Megan. Cat snapped at it and he pulled his hand back. "Whoa, easy there, Cat."

Megan stroked the girl's hair again, speaking softly into her ear. "It's okay, Cat. We can trust Don. He won't hurt us."

"No hurt?" Cat asked, peering suspiciously at Don.

He held up his hands. "No hurt."

"Help Ma." Cat nodded decisively.

Smiling, Megan let Don help her to her feet and followed him into an empty conference room. "So, your sister and her daughter disappeared?"

"Right." Megan sat down at the table, Cat still curled up in her lap. "We contacted the FBI in our area, but they told us that the longer it takes to find abductees, the smaller likelihood of finding them alive."

Don nodded, perching on the table. "What did you do?"

"I joined the FBI," she explained simply. "I wanted to help find them and it seemed like a good idea at the time."

He tilted his head, a small smile quirking one corner of his mouth. "I bet they didn't let you help."

"You're right, they didn't." Megan laughed hollowly. "Said I had too high a personal stake in the case to be able to help."

He nodded, his face sympathetic. "What'd you do instead?"

"I kept my eyes peeled for any clues or hints as to where they could be." She shrugged, feeling Cat go slack in her arms as she fell asleep. "One of those led me out here to LA."

He was silent for several moments. "I'll have teams start searching the area for signs of Audrey. I doubt Cat would have gone far from her mother."

Megan smiled, relieved. "Thanks, Don. If you don't mind, I'll take Cat home and give her a proper bath."

"Go ahead. I'll call you the moment we have any news." He stood up and patted her shoulder before leaving the room.

Megan sighed and closed her eyes. _Audrey, what happened to you?_

*15*21*14*9*

Larry let himself into Megan's apartment that evening with some caution. Charlie had told him that Megan had taken Cat home earlier in the evening, so he didn't want to risk getting attacked by the little girl. When no attack was forthcoming, he moved into the living room to find Megan seated on the couch, looking at a picture. "Megan?"

"Hi, Larry, come on in." Megan didn't jump when he spoke, so he guessed that she'd heard the door open.

He stepped forward and sat down beside her on the couch. With some surprise, he realized that tears were slowly trickling down her cheeks. "Megan, what's wrong?"

"Cat is my niece," she explained quietly, handing him the picture she'd been looking at.

Megan and another woman who strongly resembled her aside from being obviously pregnant smiled back at him. He indicated the other woman in the picture. "Is this her mother?"

"Yes, that's my sister, Audrey." Wrapping an arm around his waist, Megan rested her head on his shoulder. "We weren't twins, but a lot of people thought we were."

He chuckled, turning his head to kiss her forehead. "I can see why they might." He sobered, covering her hand with his. "What happened to them?"

"When Cat was about five, she and Audrey went shopping and we never saw them again." Megan took a deep breath and let it out in a shaky sigh. "Until today. Don had teams search the area around where you and Laurel met Cat and they found a woman's body in a cave. The coroner figures she's been dead for about a week." Her voice hitched, but she pressed on. "He said the most likely cause of death was exposure and malnutrition."

Larry set the picture on the coffee table and wrapped his arms around Megan, holding her as her shoulders began to shake with sobs that she muffled in his shoulder. He rocked her back and forth, offering comfort in the only way that he could at the moment. _It sounds like she died so her daughter could live..._

*15*21*14*9*

"Hello, this is Jim." Megan swallowed at the sound of her brother-in-law's voice. This was not going to be an easy phone call to make. "Hello?"

The puzzlement in his voice snapped her out of his reverie. "Jim, it's Megan."

"Megan?" He still sounded puzzled. "Megan who?"

She winced. She knew it'd been a long time since she'd talked to him, but she hadn't realized how long. "Megan Reeves. Audrey's sister."

"Oh, that Megan." He paused and she could hear him talking to someone at his end. "What do you want?"

She swallowed again, trying to keep back the tears that sprang to her eyes. Silently, Larry squeezed her hand. "I finally found Catherine, Jim. She's alive."

"What about Audrey?" he demanded, his voice harsh. "Did you find her?"

Megan closed her eyes. "We did, but she's dead, Jim. I'm sorry."

"Thanks for letting me know." She was surprised by his brusqueness and lack of response to the news about his dead wife.

"What about Cat, Jim? Don't you want her back?" She glanced at Larry and could see that his eyes had widened in shock at her question.

His voice was harsh, almost physically cutting her. "As far as I'm concerned, Cat is dead. I don't want anything more to do with Audrey or anyone connected to her."

"Very well. I'll need you to sign paperwork giving up any claims you might have to guardianship of your _daughter_ ," she spat, wishing very much that she could growl like her niece could.

He sneered back, venom practically oozing from his words. "Fine, but I expect that to be the last I hear of her or anyone else from _your_ family."

"Fine." She snapped her phone shut and had to physically restrain herself from slamming it down onto the coffee table.

Larry took her hands in his, clearly concerned. "Megan?"

"The bastard doesn't want his daughter back," Megan practically snarled, rising to pace the room. "She's been missing for five years. She's his flesh and blood. Why _wouldn't_ he want her back?"

He rose and intercepted her in her pacing, holding her gently. "Even behavioral scientists find themselves puzzled by human behavior at times."

"I know, Larry." She rested her head on his shoulder. "What do I do with Cat now? I can't keep her and raise her myself."

He kissed her forehead. "Why don't you sleep on it? Let it wait until morning."

"That sounds like a good plan to me." She smiled as she lifted her head to kiss him softly. "Will you stay with me?"

He smiled, returning the soft kiss with one of his own. "Of course I will."

"Thanks, Larry."

"You're welcome, Megan."


	19. Resolving Matters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megan has to decide what to do about her niece

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References to "carnal" encounters with a certain loveable astrophysics professor.
> 
> VERY AU since we learned more about Megan's family situation.

"Hi, Dad, thanks for coming," Megan greeted her father when he emerged from the airport.

Todd Reeves smiled, hugging her warmly. "I was sorry you couldn't come home for Christmas. You were missed."

"Ah, the requisite guilt trip," she teased, guiding him out to the shuttle that would take them to where she'd parked her car. "I was waiting for that."

He laughed, patting the hand she'd tucked through his elbow. "I've missed you, Meggie."

"I've missed you, too, Dad." She squeezed his elbow in acknowledgement. "How's Robbie? Is he still eating just pasta with butter?"

Todd chuckled. "He's discovered the joys of marinara sauce."

"Ah, the deliciousness of it," Megan commented, unlocking her car.

Her father shook his head. "No, the messiness of it."

"Oh, no." Megan laughed, sliding behind the wheel of her car and starting it. "Meal times have gotten very messy, then?"

Todd nodded, chuckling. "Extremely messy. Bob and Lacey don't even bother getting dressed in the mornings until after Robbie's had breakfast."

"That sounds like an excellent strategy," Megan agreed, navigating the airport parking lot carefully.

Todd agreed and fell silent so he wouldn't distract Megan from her driving.

*15*21*14*9*

"Plash!" Cat exclaimed, slapping the water with both palms.

Larry didn't even try to dodge the water that shot up and soaked his shirt. "Not plash, Cat. Splash."

"Plash!" she shouted gleefully. Though ten years old, her command of the English language was rudimentary at best. It was Larry and Megan's hope that Cat would pick it up in time.

Shaking his head, Larry tilted her head back and carefully poured a cupful of water over her hair to wash the last of the shampoo from it. "There you are, Cat. Time to get out now."

"No!" Cat folded her arms across her chest and glared at Larry mutinously.

He sighed and pulled the stopper on the drain. "Yes, Cat. Ma will be home soon."

"Ma?" Cat glanced around the bathroom eagerly. When she didn't see Megan, she looked at Larry. "Where Ma?"

He smiled, helping her to her feet and out of the tub. "She's on her way here. Just be patient."

"Want Ma," Cat told him firmly as she used the towel he'd handed her to dry herself off.

He dried her hair briskly with another towel. "Patience, Cat. Patience."

"Patience, patience," Cat sing-songed, her voice muffled by the towel.

He chuckled, guiding her into the den-turned-bedroom Megan had given to Cat when she'd taken the little girl into her home. "Patience, exactly, now time to get dressed." He pointed to the clothes waiting for Cat on her bed and closed the door to give her some privacy. Glancing down at his damp T-shirt, he went into the master bedroom to retrieve a dry one from the stack he kept in Megan's dresser.

By the time he'd changed, Cat had finished getting dressed and moved to the living room to wait patiently for him to come and brush her hair. He'd been hopeless at it at first, but then Megan had shown him that he needed to untangle the ends of Cat's hair first, and work his way up. _If you start at her scalp, you'll catch **all** the tangles as you move the brush through her hair and it'll hurt worse. _ Sitting down on the couch, Larry gestured for Cat to sit down on the floor in front of him and he began to carefully brush Cat's tawny blonde hair that she'd inherited from her mother. The little girl was quite content where she was, leaning her head back into the brush and practically purring. Just as he was brushing out the last tangles, they heard the front door open. "Come in, Dad, I have some people I'd like you to meet."

"You always knew how to pique my curiosity, Meggie," an unfamiliar male voice answered Megan's familiar one with a chuckle.

While Larry set the brush on the coffee table, Cat jumped to her feet and made a beeline for the front hall, shouting, "Ma!"

"Hello, Cat," Megan's voice answered, sounding amused. "Were you good for Uncle Larry?"

There was no verbal response, but Larry didn't mind, because Megan soon appeared in the living room doorway, Cat attached to her hip and an older gentleman with graying blond hair and curious green eyes following her. "Meggie?"

"Dad, you remember Cat, don't you?" Megan asked, turning to her father.

The old man and little girl stared at each other for several moments. It was the little girl who spoke first, "Gampa!"

"Is this little Cat? Who's been missing for five years?" he asked, glancing at Megan.

Megan nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Want Gampa!" Cat squirmed in Megan's arms, trying to get down.

Megan set the girl on her feet and she immediately latched onto the older man's hip, nuzzling her cheek against him. "I'm surprised she remembers me. It's been a long time."

"We remember the people who made us feel safe and loved as well as the people we feared and mistrusted," Megan explained quietly, lightly stroking Cat's still-damp hair.

Her father nodded and raised a curious eyebrow. "I hope you didn't leave her here by herself while you went to the airport."

"Of course not, Dad." Megan's voice was a mixture of fondness and exasperation. Taking him by the hand, she led him over to where Larry was now standing by the couch, fidgeting a little. "This is Dr. Larry Fleinhardt, a professor of astrophysics at CalSci. Larry, this is my father, Todd Reeves."

Larry extended his hand to the other man. "Hello, Mr. Reeves, I'm pleased to meet you."

"Hello, Dr. Fleinhardt." Todd shook Larry's hand, one eyebrow just a little higher than the other. He glanced at Megan. "How did you happen to meet an astrophysics professor, Meggie?"

Megan picked up a framed photograph from her coffee table and handed it to her father. That particular picture had been taken the past Christmas at the Eppes home. Charlie and Don stood side-by-side in the middle. Colby stood beside Charlie while David stood next to Don. Larry and Megan had knelt in front, their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders. Megan pointed to Don, and then Charlie in the picture as she explained, "My boss, Don, has a brother he consults with on some cases. Larry works with him at CalSci, so he helps out, too."

"Ah, so you're an FBI consultant, then?" Todd asked, looking curiously at Larry.

Larry shrugged, smiling modestly. "On occasion, I _do_ offer insight on one of their cases."

"It's thanks to Larry that we finally found Cat," Megan added proudly, patting his shoulder.

Todd glanced down at Cat, who was still attached to his hip. She gazed up at him contentedly. He looked back at Larry with a smile. "Thank you very much for finding her, Mr. Fleinhardt."

"I didn't really do much, Mr. Reeves," Larry told him, automatically twining his fingers with Megan's when she slipped her hand into his. "I was hiking with a friend and Cat happened across us. Another pair of hikers could have found her just as easily."

Cat interjected a comment of her own. "Nuh!"

"No?" Megan crouched so their eyes were on the same level. "What do you mean?"

The little girl grinned. "I'd seen them before. Knew they were nice."

"See? Not just _anyone_ could have found her, Larry." Megan grinned up at him.

Larry smiled faintly in reply. That was something he was going to have to tell Laurel. It would comfort her to know that Cat had been careful about whom she'd approach. "Why did you ask me to come, Meggie?"

"I was hoping you and Mom could take Cat in," she explained, smoothing a hand over Cat's hair. Larry could see the sadness in her eyes. "I'd love to raise her myself, but I can't afford it."

Todd blinked and looked down at the little girl still attached to his hip. "Are you sure of this, Meggie? Hasn't she faced a lot of change in her life already?"

"It's better that she not get too settled in here," Megan told him quietly. To Larry, it looked like she was trying to convince herself more than her father. "She remembers you and I'm sure she'll remember Mom, too."

Todd gently tilted Megan's head up so he could look into her eyes. "You'll miss her, though."

"I told you, Dad, I can't afford to raise a child by myself." Megan sighed, making no attempt to pull away from her dad.

He glanced at Larry. "Are you sure you'd be doing it by yourself?"

Megan glanced at Larry, too, and her cheeks reddened. "Please, Dad?"

*15*21*14*9*

Later that night, Megan was cuddled against Larry in bed, her head on his shoulder and his hand rubbing her back soothingly. She could comfort herself with the knowledge that Cat was with people who'd take good care of her, but she knew it would be awhile before she stopped missing her. "How did she manage it, Larry? How did she worm her way into my heart so quickly?"

"You loved her before she was kidnapped, Megan." He spoke gently, kissing her forehead. "When she was found, you were a surrogate mother for her. Until your father came, it was up to you to raise her."

She sighed softly, snuggling closer to him. "You do know how to help me put things into perspective. Thank you."

"Not at all." He chuckled softly. "Have I told you my 'children-are-wormholes' theory?"

She smiled and leaned up to kiss him softly. He returned the kiss readily and any theories he might have considered telling her about were quickly forgotten.

*15*21*14*9*

"Hi, mind if I join you?" Laurel glanced up from the book she'd been reading to find Megan Reeves standing nearby, looking a little uncertain.

Surprised, Laurel marked her place and sat up straight. "Not at all, please, have a seat."

"Thank you." Megan sat down across from Laurel. "What were you reading?"

Laurel held up the book for Megan to see the title, " _In the Shadow of Man_ , by Jane Goodall."

"Sounds exactly like the sort of thing a scientist would read," Megan commented, a bemused smile on her face.

Laurel shrugged, setting the book aside. "I suppose it would be. I just find it fascinating to read. She made some excellent points."

"I haven't read it myself, so I wouldn't know." Megan smiled in such a way that Laurel couldn't help smiling back.

Raising an eyebrow, she asked the question that had been on her mind since Megan had joined her. "What brings you here, Megan?"

"I just wanted to talk," Megan answered, not quite meeting Laurel's eyes.

Laurel smiled wryly, raising an auburn eyebrow. "Megan, we haven't known each other long enough for you to come to CalSci 'just to talk'."

"Are you sure you're not a behavioral scientist?" Megan asked with a grin.

Laurel grinned back. "When you've been around Larry long enough, you learn not to take things at face value." She leaned forward. "What _really_ brings you here?"

"I want to do something special for Larry, show him that I appreciate all that he's done for me over the past week or two," Megan explained after glancing around to make sure no one was listening. "The thing is, I don't know him well enough to know what would work and what wouldn't. I was hoping that, since you've known him much longer than I have, you could give me some ideas, maybe help me plan it?"

Laurel laughed. "I would love to help, Megan. On one condition."

"What's that?" Megan looked curious.

Laurel leaned forward, still smiling. "How did you convince him not to break things off after the first night you had an encounter of the 'carnal' kind?"

"I told him his argument was unfounded," Megan replied, her eyes dancing with amusement.

Laurel blinked, surprised by the response. "In what way?"

"I told him that the factors that had led to the 'untwinable' would still be present, therefore it was quite 'twinable'." Megan chuckled fondly, her eyes on Laurel, but not seeing her. "He didn't believe me, so I offered to prove it to him."

As she watched Megan, Laurel felt relief at seeing such fondness and affection in Megan's face and voice for Larry. It was very reassuring to her. "I take it you did?"

"Oh, yes, and then he insisted on further tests to prove the validity of my claim." Megan winked, smiling broadly.

Laurel laughed at that. "I imagine it's going to take a lot of testing."

"I'm counting on it."


	20. Saying Thank You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megan thanks Larry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leads up to a "carnal" encounter.

Larry tugged at the lapels of his coat, stepping back to examine his reflection. He was wearing a white pinstriped shirt that he'd been given at Christmas, though he couldn't remember who'd given it to him. For once he'd tucked in the tails of his shirt and he winced to see the roundness of his stomach revealed by that. There was a reason he usually left his shirts untucked. His dark gray slacks that matched his sport coat in color were held up by a black leather belt and the ensemble was completed by the black loafers he'd chosen to wear instead of the comfortable sneakers he usually favored.

Shrugging slightly, he combed his hair very quickly before leaving his condo to drive to Megan's apartment building. She'd asked him to keep this particular evening free and, when he'd asked if she was sure she wouldn't get tied up with work, she'd simply smiled mysteriously and told him to trust her. Since he did, he found himself riding the elevator up to her floor and knocking on the door of her apartment. His eyes widened and his mouth went dry when Megan opened the door. She wore a simple black dress that flattered her figure and her coloring. She'd left her hair loose and curled the ends so they framed her face. He had to swallow several times before he could find his voice, "Megan, wow-- you look-- you're stunning."

"Thank you, Larry." She smiled, her cheeks flushing. "Please, come in."

"Right, of course." He moved past her into the apartment and blinked in the sudden dimness when she closed the door behind him. "Did something happen to your electricity?"

He heard her chuckle. "No, I left the lights off for the evening."

"Not that I'm complaining, but why?" he asked, his eyes slowly adjusting as he realized that there was light flickering in the other room.

She didn't answer right away, simply taking his hand and leading him into the living room. The furniture had been rearranged to make room for the small circular table that sat in the very center. Two tall white candles stood on the table, casting a soft glow over the two place settings and glinting on the wine glasses that waited. Several other tall white candles were scattered around the room, all of them lit, which explained the flickering quality of the light he'd noticed before. The cloth covering the table was a smooth, flawless white. After taking in the scene, he turned to Megan curiously. She was smiling softly, "I wanted to do something to thank you for everything you've done for me since you and Laurel found Cat."

"I don't really need thanks, Megan," he told her sincerely, flattered that she'd obviously gone to a lot of trouble to arrange everything. "If you'll recall, I told you I would be here if you needed me, just as you were there when I needed you."

She covered his mouth with her hand, preventing him from saying anything further. "Larry, please let me do this." It was the entreaty in her green eyes that did it for him. He nodded his acquiescence and a bright smile lit her face, making her look, if possible, even more beautiful. "Good, now, you have a seat, and I'll go get our dinner from the kitchen." Rather than sit down as he'd been instructed, Larry stood and waited for Megan's return. When she re-entered carrying two plates, a smile of fond exasperation appeared on her face. "Larry, this is for _you_." So saying, she set down the plates, stepped behind him, and, maneuvering him into place, exerted enough pressure on his shoulders to make him sit, but not to hurt him. "I'm pleased that your parents taught you your manners so well, but let me do this for you."

"If you feel that strongly about it, I will do my best to ignore those manners that my parents taught me," he replied, rather flustered by the whole situation.

He felt her kiss the top of his head, and then she disappeared into the kitchen again. He hardly had time to wonder before she returned carrying a bottle of wine. She filled their glasses about three-fourths full before finally sitting down opposite him. It took only a moment after she raised her glass for him to raise his. Smiling, they clinked their glasses together, the glass chiming softly at the contact. After taking a sip, Larry set his glass down and finally looked at the dinner Megan had served him. He was pleased and touched to realize that she'd fixed chicken fettuccine alfredo, complete with cauliflower and water chestnuts, instead of the usual broccoli and carrots. That was one of the many things he liked about Megan. She'd never once commented on the fact that he ate only white food since the day they'd met, but she always made sure he had plenty to eat. "Do you not like the food, Larry?"

"I beg your pardon?" He looked up at her curiously, wondering why she'd asked the question.

She pointed with her fork at his still-full plate. "You've only had one bite."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I got distracted." He quickly took another bite, this time savoring the mixed flavors of the sauce, pasta, and vegetables. "It's delicious, Megan, I don't know how you managed it."

She laughed softly, her gaze warm. "I don't know how I managed it, either." He looked at her, eyebrows raised in silent inquiry. "Actually, Laurel gave me the recipe. She said she never had a chance to try it, but she thought you'd like it."

"Ah, the secret of your success comes out." He smiled teasingly as he sipped his wine. "Is this all Laurel's idea?"

Megan shook her head, still smiling. "No, as I said, I wanted to do something for you, but I couldn't think of anything. So, I talked to Laurel, since you two have been friends for so long and actually dated for a while. She gave me some ideas and this is the result." She waved a hand to indicate their surroundings."

"Well, Laurel gave you some excellent advice," he assured her, smiling warmly. "How can you be sure that you won't be called in for work, though?"

Her smile turned mischievous. "I simply told Don that I needed tonight off, and that I would be back in the morning, not before. Besides, the men need to learn how to get along without a woman prodding them."

"Oh, is _that_ how it works?" Larry asked with a mischievous smile of his own. "I'd always wondered about that."

She grinned, her eyes sparkling with merriment in a way that he found quite lovely. "Yes, they're so lazy that I have crack my whip to keep them on task."

"The whip, a natural motivator for any given situation," he commented dryly, pleased to see Megan so playful. She hadn't quite been herself of late and he knew why. She missed her niece, but refused to admit it to anyone. He wasn't sure if she'd even admitted it to herself. For his part, he missed Cat very much. She'd been cheerful and bubbly around people she knew, with an occasional flash of stubbornness.

He was startled from his reverie by a touch on his hand. "Hey, are you with me, Larry?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Megan, my thoughts drifted again." He smiled apologetically, turning his hand over under hers to squeeze it reassuringly.

She smiled, returning the squeeze. "May I know what you were thinking about?"

"Actually, I was thinking about Cat," he told her quietly, meeting her eyes steadily.

He felt her hand stiffen in his and he tightened his grip when she tried to withdraw her hand from his. He could see the plea in her eyes, even though she said no more than, "Larry."

"Megan, you could have raised Cat yourself," he informed her gently. "I would have been glad to help you."

She refused to meet his eyes, preferring to look down at their clasped hands. "I would have had to give up being an agent, Larry."

"Cat was the reason you became an agent to begin with, Megan," he pointed out reasonably. "Now that she's been found, you don't _have_ to remain an agent."

She nodded, biting her lip. "I know, but I _want_ to remain an agent now." She looked up, meeting his eyes once more. "I enjoy it, despite the long hours I have to put in."

"You're sure, Megan? You don't want to go back to whatever you were doing before?" he asked, tilting his head slightly, seeking confirmation of her words.

She nodded, a smile slowly blooming. "Yes, Larry, I'm sure. Besides, I wouldn't be able to see you if I went back to my old job."

His cheeks grew warm and he ducked his head, still shy when she complimented him in some way. "I'm very f-flattered, of course, but surely I'm not the _only_ reason."

"No, I will admit that I have other reasons, but--" she gently tilted his head up so he _had_ to meet her eyes "--you're the biggest and best reason of all."

The warmth in his cheeks grew warmer, but he managed a shy smile all the same. "Truly, Megan?"

"Truly, Larry." She moved around the table and, cupping his cheek with her free hand, kissed him softly and tenderly.

He returned her kiss as softly and tenderly. In truth, he could never seem to resist Megan. There was something about her that drew him in, like light into a black hole. In all honesty, he never felt the least inclination to resist being drawn in. That's why, when the kiss ended, he inquired hopefully, "What do you have planned for dessert?"

"Come with me and find out," she answered with a smile that was both inviting and questioning.

Smiling back, he rose from his seat and followed Megan into the bedroom. The dessert that awaited him there was, he would always assert, the most exquisite and delicious he had ever had the pleasure of consuming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dress Megan's wearing is pretty much the same dress that she wore in _Convergence_ , except she didn't have the gun underneath. *grinwink*


	21. Almost Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megan is about to get married.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set about three years after the previous couple chapters.

"I never thought this day would come, Meggie," Victoria Reeves told her daughter with a watery and tremulous smile.

Megan rolled her eyes, amused and a little exasperated, brushing an invisible bit of lint from her skirt. "I told you I would do this in my own time, Mom, and I have."

"I know, Meggie, but you were single for so long," Victoria replied, catching Megan's hand in hers. "I began to despair that you would ever find a nice young man and settle down."

Megan smiled wryly. "He's hardly young, Mom."

"You know what I mean, Meggie," Victoria answered with fond exasperation, stroking her daughter's tawny blonde hair.

Megan's smile softened into fondness as she leaned into her mother's touch. "I know, Mom."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. "It's the father of the bride."

"Come in, Dad," Megan called, exchanging an amused look with her mother.

Over the last few months, Todd had offered his assistance with the wedding plans so much that he got to be a nuisance. When Megan asked why he was so interested, he said, _"I don't want to miss a single moment of it, Meggie."_ Megan had smiled, kissed his cheek, and never complained about his 'assistance' again. "How's the bride today?"

"I'm fine, Dad." Megan smiled and tilted her head slightly as Todd kissed her cheek. "Excited, happy, and wonderful."

He raised an eyebrow as Victoria left to be escorted to her seat. "You're not nervous?"

"It's a small wedding for a reason, Dad," she told him, smiling gently. "All the guests are either a good friend or family." She sighed softly, sadness clouding her countenance briefly. "I wish Audrey were here."

Todd didn't say anything for a moment, simply hugging her. "She's here in spirit."

"And in Cat," Megan added, her smile bittersweet. "She's grown so much."

There was a light tap on the door followed by a familiar voice. "The bride needs to take her place."

"We're coming, Laurel," Megan replied for both of them, picking up the bouquet she would be carrying as she walked down the aisle to be married.

Todd offered his arm to his daughter and they exited the dressing room. Two bridesmaids stood waiting for them. One was Laurel Wilson, who'd become a good friend to Megan, providing her with plenty of advice and tips on how to deal with a certain brilliant but rather absent-minded professor of astrophysics. The other was Cat Reeves, just now, at the tender age of 13, beginning the process of becoming a woman. "You look beautiful, Aunt Meggie."

"Thank you, Cat." Megan hugged her niece. When Todd and Victoria had taken their grand-daughter in after her father had rejected her, they'd changed her name to reflect the change in her personality that had resulted from her adventure.

As they waited, Megan fidgeted with the bouquet in her hands. "Meggie?"

"Yes, Dad?" She glanced up at him curiously.

He indicated the bouquet. "Why tuberoses?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so people know, there are seven tuberoses in the bouquet.


End file.
